


Those Who Wander

by AuthorMontresor



Category: Little Witch Academia, TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms, The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Bathing/Washing, Crossover tag added to make it a bit clearer, Drama & Romance, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual couples though it's all a slow start, F/F, Fantasy, First Kiss, Girls Kissing, HIGH INTENSITY, High Fantasy, Hot Springs & Onsen, I am a sucker for the 'rivals to lovers' trope and I love it to death, Kissing, NaNoWriMo, NaNoWriMo 2018, Rivalry, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, This is skirting closer and closer to an M rating, Washing each other's back, Whoa that's alot of kissing, more kisses
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-03
Updated: 2019-06-29
Packaged: 2019-08-17 06:10:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 91,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16510832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AuthorMontresor/pseuds/AuthorMontresor
Summary: Times are dire. Darkness is mounting. Diana Cavendish is chosen for an important mission, and must not go alone.  Surely, in such an endeavor, she will enjoy the company of the most distinct of Witches! Instead, she gets saddled with that brown-haired, naive, talentless Akko Kagari. Such a disgrace: Akko's magic is non-existent, her talent for mischief is boundless, and her skirt is so scandalously short!What a travesty.Yet, along the way, Akko and Diana face many enemies and impossible odds, discover secrets about themselves, and kindle a secret fire that will warm them both, in a manner they'd never thought possible. Rivals to lovers in the sweetest way possible.Little Witch Academia AU in a Tolkien-lite world.Look inside to find: peril, the Nameless Enemy, vivid descriptions, adventure, romance, blushing Diana, magic, oblivious Akko, girls discovering they love girls, bows and swords, sneaky Shiny Chariot, girls loving girls quite a lot, and believing hearts!Updates on Saturday in 2019





	1. I - Two is a Company

**Author's Note:**

> I am no stranger to writing for my own enjoyment. Though, given this is starting to become something of a career for me, the enjoyment, at times, gets stale. Putting down a certain number of words on the page can become more of a chore than a joy. Therefore for this NaNoWriMo I decided to start a crazy project: a story about peril, and adventure, and the kind of slow-burn, rivals-to-lovers romance I love! This entire idea is a mad jump into the unknown. In the meantime, please enjoy your stay. We have cookies, oblivious Akko, blushing Diana, and much, much more! My aim is for a sweet, sweet tale with some drama here and there. Hope you'll have fun, and if you do, please leave a kudo and a comment!
> 
> Now sit back, and relax. Or maybe not. Something tells me we're in for a bumpy ride.
    
    
      
    

Mieleni minun tekevi,

aivoni ajattellevi

lahteani laulamahan,

saa'ani sanelemahan.

 

My mind wants,

my brain thinks,

to start singing,

to utter words.

 

_The Kalevala, Runo I_

 

 

 **D** iana Cavendish looked out from her window towards the pale sea. Was this the last time she would see it? Her lithe fingers drew forgotten arabesques on marble and glass. This mission was dangerous - perilous, even. No other Witch, especially one as young as she was, could have been asked to complete it. Yet, pride cast only fickle flame at the thought of the many, many leagues that awaited her. Her mind was in that moment clouded by doubt and fear, and she only could think of the encroaching darkness and dire times ahead.

Still, not even in Diana's strangest dream she could have imagined what was in store for her. Or the person witch whom she would share her journey.

Diana took one last look at the shimmering sea in the dawn. The Sun rose far, far in the East, casting his light onto the encroaching waves. She would miss Luna Nova. She would miss waking up at the sing of seagulls, opening her window and smelling salt and water. Duty called. One last smile towards the sea, and Diana turned away from the window.   
On her desk sat, stark grey against the mahogany, the source of all of her problems. Or to be more frank, the source of this particular problem. It was such a pitiful thing, a small iron box, as large as her fist, maybe, maybe even smaller. It would rest comfortably in her pocket, or perhaps she might hang it on a small chain and bear it around her neck. And yet, its contents were, she had been explained, of the upmost importance.

Diana's curiosity had long since been tamed by her discipline, yet she felt its roaring waves, asking her to just take a peek, just the tiniest peek, just draw her wand and _sense_ , at least, what could be inside the small box, just a hint, nobody would even care...

Diana huffed and shook her head at her childish temptations. She put the box inside a small leather bag and then deep into the pockets of her traveling clothes. She took one last look at herself in the mirror. Gone was the purple robe of her days at Luna Nova. For this mission at least, she was covered with the brown and black and green of those who wander in the wilderness. She would hide both her head and distinctive hair. Vanity would only hinder her in the woods.

And may nobody say Diana Cavendish had a shred of vanity!

Thus prepared, Diana tossed a long look at her room. The smell of salt tickled her nostrils. How many days before she came back? She had a vague idea that when she came back she would be a changed girl, nay, a woman! And she was both right and wrong, though not in a way she could imagine.

The morning had just began showing itself, and though she would travel at the onset of fall, she'd better make haste: Diana took the stairs, making sure to draw as little noise as she could. Nobody was up, and all the doors were closed.

All except for one. On its threshold, she crossed eyes with Hannah and Barbara, waving at her as she passed.

"Diana!" Was their twin cry.

"Why are you awake so early in the morning?" Diana asked.

"We _had_ to say goodbye," Hannah exclaimed, taking a step forward. Barbara hesitated, wringing her hands.

"I know you said we shouldn't, but..."

"That was precisely what I said," Diana replied in her best Cavendish commanding voice. A pause, while across Barbara and Hannah's faces passed a shiver. They shared an alarmed look. Diana smiled. "But I am glad you waited for me." Diana took one step forward and hugged Barbara and Hannah, and then both of them at once.

"Make sure to stay on the road!" Hannah said.

"And write!"

Diana in her heart knew that past Berg, or even Westerndale, there would be no way to send them correspondence, but she nodded anyway. And there would be no need for her to deviate from the road. Why would she? Only a fool would.

"Worry not, girls. I will be back before winter's end! It is nothing but a long, boring mission," she lied, trying to reassure them. Hannah licked her lips.

"Yes, but..."

"The wilderness is not safe anymore," Barbara concluded.

"Y-yes. My parents told me... stories. About stuff. Bad stuff that's happening, all over the land."

"And I've heard... they're on the move... t-the N-Nin-"

Diana covered, gentle yet firm, Barbara's mouth with her hand. Her eyes were severe.

"We do not speak their name here."

Barbara nodded.

"Girls, relax. I'll be back with gifts for all of you, and we will laugh at each other for our worries!"

Hannah and Barbara hugged her again.

"Promise you will be back!"

"Safe and sound!"

Diana hesitated only for the briefest moment.

"I promise."

She wanted to stay there, holding Hannah and Barbara for the longest time. Time she did not have.

Thus she detached herself from the two of them, drew herself high and took one step downstairs.

"Do not slack in my absence! If I come to know you've failed your exams..." And she left it at that.

"We'll study as hard as we can!"

"Please be safe!"

Diana turned one last time, smiled, and walked away, disappearing towards the lower steps.

One final turn, and the great outside awaited her: the marble shore, the singing sea, the salt stinging her lips. Dawn beckoned her. If she truly had to leave, it seemed there was not a better time.

Diana allowed herself a smile.

"Outta the way!"

A moment later someone hit her, made her stumble and fall against the hard floor.

Diana took a moment to understand the situation. That instant had been so _perfect!_ She had been taken by surprise. What, who could have...

Diana blinked and saw herself reflected in a pair of large, maroon eyes.

Oh, kindest Beatrix, _of course_.

Who other could be but the walking disaster?

Akko Kagari blinked as well, recognizing her. If Diana expected an apology, she was sorely mistaken. The brown-haired Witch frowned and lifted herself from Diana, untangling her limbs.

"W-Watch where you are going," she said, her eyes shifting between Diana and the sea. Miss Kagari patted her - always so frustratingly short - skirt, making sure to show a vast expanse of creamy thighs.

Diana blinked and regarded her with the cold contempt Miss Kagari deserved.

"That would be my statement," Diana retorted. Her hand went to check the iron box inside her clothes. It was still there, unmarred. Leave it to Kagari Akko to ruin her mission before it even began!

"I-I have a meeting! An important meeting! With Professor Ursula! And you are not invited!"

Miss Kagari blew a raspberry at her as she began to walk away in the vague direction of the Tower of the Stars where Professor Callistis lived. Another odd one, she was. No surprise the Professor and Miss Kagari would relate to each other... even though... a doubt crossed Diana's mind.

Professor Callistis? This early in the morning? Professor Callistis had been the one who had chosen her for...

No, it just could not be. Not a chance.

"Bring my regards to the Professor," Diana thinly said, chasing away the remaining doubts in her mind. It was just not possible.

Miss Kagari turned to look at her one last time, blew another quick raspberry and ran away along the pier.

Diana's eyes lingered for a moment on her still-so-short skirt.

She shook her head.

Scandalous.

At least, Diana Cavendish thought, this mission came with a boon: she would be as far away from Miss Kagari as she could.

 

-

 

The Tower of the Stars did not owe its name to its function. It wasn't in a particularly favourable position from where to look upon the sky. In fact, it was so close to the shore that any kind of glass or mechanism would have had to deal with the ever-present salt, and quickly fall into disrepair and ruin. No, it was so called because in past times, now forgotten, it used to be home to a star. And from that star the ships would find the Luna Nova harbour. But that was in long-past years, back when Witches were great. Now the star was gone, and in its place, stood the far more mundane figure of Professor Ursula, smiling on the threshold of her living quarter to a panting Akko Kagari.

"Goo... aaah.... good mor... good morning... Professor..." she said.

"Good Morning, Akko," Ursula welcomed her. Clad as she always was in her purple-blue outfit, her eyes hidden by her glasses, the Professor seemed relieved to see her. "You did not have to run but I am glad you came to our appointment."

"Of course!" Akko answered with the usual enthusiasm she displayed. How could she not? This was the sort of thing that got your blood pumping! And the Professor had asked nice, anyway.

"Delightful. Please come in," Ursula said, taking a sidestep to allow Akko in.

She has had already been into her office during their private lessons. Office was maybe not the right name. It was a wide circular room with just one window, the floor and walls a clear white, almost reflecting. If it had been Diana Cavendish in her place, she would have guessed the previous use of the room as a light-tower.

Akko sat in her usual chair, tossing a glance at Alcor. The white raven croaked at her, the warmest welcome she had ever received. This must be a good sign! A sign the Professor's call and request was going to be important! Akko did not mind it was vaguely dangerous. Live and learn, as she said. It was just something about some kind road trip, nothing too scary! And-

"I called you here," the Professor said, sitting in front of Akko, "because this is a mission I can only entrust to two people."

Akko nodded. The Professor had hinted she would have a companion. Who could it be? Maybe Lotte! Or maybe Sucy, though that would be less... practical. It would be a shame not to go with both of them, though. Or Amanda, the red-haired Witch! She was a bit rough around the edges, but Akko could work with that, she was fun! Or-

"Akko," the Professor called her once again.

"Oh, yes, sorry! I was kinda- I mean, I am so excited!" She clapped her hands.

"Something to be delighted about. As I said. This is not an easy mission. You and your companion will have to face many dangers. And yet you must go, and go in small number, because secrecy is of the upmost importance."

Who could this mysterious companion be? Maybe that cute, tiny girl, what was her name, Constanze? But she had left two years before...

"Now, your mission is deceptively simple. Akko, please focus."

"Yes! I am focused!"

"I am glad. You have to bring a small iron box to a certain person. You must not lose the box, and you must not look inside the box. Its contents are not for your eyes."

Uh! That was intriguing! What could be in the box, so precious, to...

"Akko! I am serious! Secrecy, as I said, is the most important factor of them all! You are not, in any circumstance, and I have to stress this... under _any_ circumstance, to look inside the box, or pry it open... or _allow_ it to be open. Am I clear?"

Akko hesitated, curiosity already gnawing her, but she nodded.

"Yes. I will not look into the box."

"Do you promise?"

"Yes, I promise!"

A pause.

Akko found her palms sweaty, and heard her heartbeats coming faster. The Professor was looking at her from behind her glasses, and she felt, for the first time ever since she met Professor Ursula, small and questioned, under trial and scrutiny.

But it was just a moment.

Outside the sun shone and the Professor smiled, dissipating her worries and fantasies.

It was old Professor Ursula, after all.

"Very well, Akko. You lift a heavy weight from my heart. Now... the person you will have to bring the box is..." the Professor seemed to hesitate, for the briefest moment. "She is... she dwells in the Iron Tower in the south. Croix Meridies."

Akko's eyes opened wide. Even she had heard about Croix Meridies, a name flying to her ears onto the wings of legend.

"The White Witch," Akko whispered.

"The very same," Ursula nodded, her hands clenching in her lap. Was she nervous? Akko prided herself in her ability to read people. If she was nervous maybe something was worrying her? Maybe it was the early hour? Maybe she woke up without a coffee. Sucy was grumpy without a coffee. Maybe she could ask Sucy for a coffee. No, wait, better ask Lotte and avoid collateral damage... wait, she was thinking about something else...

"But that's... hundreds of leagues away!"

Akko had expected a long journey, but not that long!

"Indeed, my dear Akko. And this is another reason why you will depart today. In a moment, in fact. Time is of the essence."

"Wait, what? Now?!"

"Yes, Akko. In a moment. Worry not about your needs or your baggage, it has already been prepared, as is your fellow traveller, I am sure she is as ready as she always is."

Akko tilted her head. Who could this mysterious person be?

"One last thing. As I told you, secrecy is of the utmost importance here. You will have to cover yourself, Akko, and try not to leave too many traces behind. And this brings me to the most important point: _you must not use magic_."

" _Ehhh_?"

Ursula drew in a deep breath and nodded, gravely, making the point of her hat wave.

"Try to use it as little as possible. Light a few sparks for a fire, use mist to conceal yourself, hide your footprints. Things such as these. No more."

"But why?"

To Akko this was tantamount to murder. She came to Luna Nova to learn and spread magic, to lit magic in a world that was growing cold! That was what Shiny Chariot had been trying to do...

"There's an evil Will in the land," Ursula said, her voice low, wringing her hands. "It can see your magic, Akko. It can see mine. And this Will has sent Its servants to find you."

"T-to find me?"

Ursula waved her hand.

"You and all Witches as well. This Will, this black Enemy that is looking for you, will leave no stone unturned, no path untrodden. And the scent of your magic, Akko draws Him ever nearer. You must not use magic. It is important you understand this: to the Enemy, secrecy is still a powerful weapon, as it is to us. He will not dare reveal Himself, not yet. Thus He will not risk outright displays of force. Try to make His job as hard as possible. I beg of you."

"B-but why?"

Akko put a lot of questions in that _why_.

Why me? And why now? And why is it happening to me, and why couldn't it happen in some other time, to some other people? Why so?

Ursula smiled. It was a sad, yet sweet smile. She stood up from her chair and walked to hug Akko.

"I ask the same questions myself," she softly said. Then her tone grew sharper. "But if you need an answer, Akko, dear, is thanks to your heart."

Her heart? What could it mean? Professor Ursula at times gave her a headache, with her tendency to speak through riddles.

Nevertheless, this stuff with this enemy and not using magic... this was getting scary, serious scary!

"What do you say?" Asked the Professor at least. "I can't force you to bear this mission, and I will not. But I am asking you."

Silence filled the room.

Akko looked up.

She smacked her lips.

"Professor."

"Yes, Akko?"

"I didn't expect anything like that. I..." Another person would have said she might need more time to think, more time to take a rational decision. This was madness, after all!

Another person was no Akko Kagari.

"I... I'll need some minutes to say goodbye to Lucy and Lotte."

"But of course!" Ursula smiled wide. Her eyes shone like the star that had once resided in this very room. "But of course! Go to your friends, Akko! But waste no time, everything is ready!"

Akko nodded. She hugged the Professor.

"Professor..." she asked in a slight voice, "Do you think in this journey of mine... I will be able to meet Shiny Chariot?"

Ursula laughed softly, caressing Akko's soft locks.

"Who knows, who knows, my dear Akko! Maybe you will."

"Is it likely?"

"Not likely, not even probable, I would say. But is it possible. Wait not for Shiny Chariot to appear on your road, though! You will have to take fate into your own hands, Akko Kagari!"

"I will!"

Akko balled her fists. She was not so sure about fate and everything else, and this adventure seemed scary enough, but whatever! She might meet Shiny Chariot again! It was worth it!

"Then I am leaving now! Oh, I have so little time for Sucy and Lotte! I should have thought... goodbye, Professor! Thanks for everything!"

"Don't thank me yet," Ursula, said, under her breath.

"Ah, one last thing... Dia-... _Miss_ Cavendish sends her regards. No idea why."

Ursula perked up, a secret smile on her face.

"She does, does she not? Very kind of her."

"If you think so!"

Akko waved and smiled, ran towards the door, she hesitated, stopped, turned.

"Ah, yeah, Professor?"

"Yes, Akko?"

"Who is... who is the person who will go on this journey together with me?"

It must be such an amazing Witch! Maybe even one of the Professors? Oh please not Finneran...

The Professor, for some reason, came back to sit in her chair. Alcor as well, lazily flew into a corner of her room. For some odd reason, he threw his wings up, to cover the side of his head, where his ears would be.

Odd.

Akko chuckled.

Funny bird.

"Ah, yes. I suppose you better know about it in advance." Ursula smacked her lips, lifted her fingers and put them at the sides of her head, just below her ears, as if about to cover them.

Odd.

"Your companion, that would be... ah, but you already know her! It is Miss Cavendish, Akko. Diana Cavendish."

Professor Ursula covered her ears.

Five seconds of silence followed.

Then all the seagulls in Luna Nova took flight at the echoes of Akko's cry.


	2. II - A farewell

Diana found Professor Nelson already waiting for her.

"Good morning," Diana nodded in a warm, if short, welcome. The Professor just answered with one long glance.

"Good morning to you, Cavendish." She clicked her tongue. "Still think this whole idea is madness, but who would ask for my opinion? I just deal with brooms and horses, nobody ever asks me anything."

Diana inwardly smiled. Professor Nelson had her own way of looking at things, it concerned her little. She did not come to Luna Nova to deal with horses, or brooms. Diana walked towards the tall grey horse that awaited her. A beautiful animal, tall and strong, already saddled with everything that was necessary for such a long travel. Diana had enough food and water to carry her to Westerndale, at the very least. And even that was one week away, at a good pace. She hoped she could cut it in five days, on her own.

But why was there another horse next to her own? Diana frowned as she saw the other beast. It was brown, with a curious star-shaped spot in the middle of its face. Diana walked up to him and petted him between the eyes. The animal shook its tail, apparently content with her gesture.

"I do not need a second horse, Professor. I travel light."

Nelson scoffed, adjusting the scarf she usually wore.

"Did I say it was for you, Cavendish?"

Diana frowned. Was there another person leaving Luna Nova this early in the morning?

It wasn't her business, but... something suggested her she ought to ask who this person was. Just a nudge, a scratch at the edge of her consciousness. Why was she uneasy all of a sudden?

"Nah, it's for the other girl, this one," Nelson explained, patting the beautiful horse on its back. The horse snorted, happy to feel the touch of its master. "Beautiful beast."

Diana frowned.

"Another girl? Is there someone else leaving today as well? I was not informed."

Nelson looked at her like she had asked if she could drive a broom on her feet, then something happened, something that made Diana even more uneasy than before. She smirked.

"Ah, now I see. Making sure you both get no chances to say no. Sneaky little lass, that one!" She laughed. "Cavendish, did you really think we'd let you go alone in the wilderness? Nah, there's someone coming with you, of course!"

This was... unexpected. The importance of the mission was such she had assumed... she had thought...

Diana straightened her clothes, flipping her hair behind her head to show she did not mind this.

A thought, a scary thought, raised its head, but Diana repressed it with practiced ease.

It was of no circumstance.

And it could _not_ be Kagari. It could just _not_ be.

All that mattered was this colleague of hers – whoever she might be – did not slow her down. Surely it must be a powerful, skilled Witch, but not a Professor, Nelson had said as much. At least she would not be forced to travel with Finneran.

But then, who?

"Who would this companion be? I would prefer to know it in advance."

Nelson' smirk widened. Oh, Diana did not like that, not even a bit.

Oh, kindest Beatrix. Anyone but… but...

"Why, it's the perfect person for you, didn't you know? You can thank Callistis for that, she really tricked you two!"

Amanda's hands shook.

Was... oh, Powers, could it that immature O'Neill? Or...

Or…

No, Diana was not that lucky.

_I have a meeting with Professor Ursula!_

Oh, no.

Oh, Powers, _no_.

Diana withdrew from the horse. She walked up to Nelson, did something she would usually never do, and set both hands on the Professor' shoulders.

"Professor Nelson," Diana asked, her voice cracking. " _Professor_ ," she repeated, managing to control herself. "Please tell me. This person... it wouldn't happen to be..."

Before Nelson could answer, the world shook with the echo of Akko's cry from the Tower of the Stars. All the seagulls in Luna Nova responded in tow, and Diana's heart sank.

 

-

 

Akko watched the door to her room open, slowly, as if in a dream. For a moment, she almost expected to see, in the shadow of the door, not Lotte, but a great monster in wait for her, one of those that lurked under bridges and towers, stretching its mighty claw to draw her into the darkness and devour her.

But she would not face such monsters today: it was just Lotte, her orange hair a stark contrast with her white night-gown, her hands crossed on her chest.

"A-Akko? How did it go?"

Akko sniffed. Her face scrunched, like she was gnawing on words.

She stepped in.

Sucy was already awake, go figure. She played with her bottles and concoctions in a corner of the room. She spared her but a glance, yet her single visible eye was alert behind her feigned bored expression.

Akko sat on the bed, holding her face in her hands. She needed to allow herself to calm down. No need to lose her mind over something as minor as this. She only would need time.

She did not have much time.

Dawn was already riding fast into morning, and she still had not explained anything to her friends. Lotte was the one more outwardly preoccupied, but Sucy had stopped tinkering with her fumes and liquids and mushrooms and waited for her words.

Akko drew a breath, opened her mouth.

She closed it.

She opened it again.

Oh, Powers! This was so difficult!

"I... uh..." she began. This wasn't so insightful. And it was the last time she'd see both her friends, in weeks, months maybe! She was about to face the darkness, and do it together with her rival, her oldest and most bitter enemy, that blonde-haired, stuck-up, _perfect_...

Akko in the end decided for a more hands-on approach. It was for the best, after all.

She rose from the bed, walked towards Sucy and Lotte, now regarding her next to each other, and hugged them both.

"H-hey!" Lotte cried.

"You hare-brained..." Sucy began, but left it at that as Akko's voice trembled.

"I... I... I-I _am_ going, guys. I am leaving now, I don't even have time for one last breakfast with you!"

"There, there," Lotte replied, patting her softly on the head. "Everything is going to be fine. As water runs true from river to sea, so will you."

"I hope not. Washed-up bodies are harder to study," mused Sucy.

Akko chuckled at her humour. In the years she had known her, she got used to her particular way to make fun of things. Most of times, she could guess when Sucy was joking, and she was mostly sure this was a joke.

"I _am_ going to be back. No, this is not the problem."

Akko detached herself from the hug, opened the nearest leather bag and began to fill it with things. In went her silver arrows and the bow gifted to her from her father, before she came here to Luna Nova and was just a simple girl in the land of Tchipai.

"Then what is it?" Lotte asked, adjusting her glasses.

"It's... it's Diana. She's coming with me."

Lotte and Sucy exchanged a look. Sucy grinned. Chuckled. And at last she shook her shoulders as laughter rattled her.

"It's not funny! I don't know what to do! She's insufferable, she's..."

"I know. I know," Sucy reassured her, giving her another pat on the shoulders. "Just remember to write home, will you? If you will remember. Or have the time."

Akko tilted her head, looking at Sucy as if she had sprouted wings.

"What are you talking about?"

Sucy laughed again, shook her head and went to look for something in her corner of the room.

"Nothing, nothing." Another laughter. Sucy, apparently satisfied, had cleaned half her desk and retrieved a small pouch. "Here, take this with you."

"It's... not going to turn me into a mushroom or something, is it?"

"Not this time. No, it's a stimulant. Maybe a little too strong. In case… you know, you get so bored you knock yourself out. Or you die. In fact...” Sucy twirled the bag between her fingers, “I was not able to test about the last part...”

"Uh… thank you? I’ll take it anyway! Uh... there's just a little of it though."

"I value quality over quantity. You should know this," Sucy rebutted.

"I know! Thank you Sucy!" Akko hugged her once more. Sucy rolled her eyes and patted her on the back.

"There, there, all is good, now you can leave."

"I... uh... I don't have any gifts for you," Lotte said as she wrung her hands, embarrassed. "I will keep an eye on you on your road. I will try to reach you with my song, if it helps."

"But of course it helps!" Akko replied, jumping excited, not imagining in the slightest what her words might bring. "If only you could come with me, guys! I would need your help against Diana, I'm not sure if..."

"Everything is going to be fine with Diana," Sucy said, her lonely eye shining. "Believe me."

Akko still did not understand her. Half of her friends spoke in riddles.

"Please do write! And if you will not or cannot, I will catch your words in the wind!" Lotte hugged her one last time.

"Thank you guys. I will be back soon, I promise! And this time I will show that uppity Diana her place."

"You call her by name, don't you," Sucy mused.

"Uh?"

"Nothing. Take care, Akko." Sucy patted her on the head. "Please do come back in one piece. Necromancy is still a bit hard for me."

Akko pouted.

"Of course I will!"

"Then go!" Sucy cried, pointing at the door. "I'm sure the Professor said time is of the essence or something like that."

Akko nodded, hugged them both one last time, made sure she got her family’s bow and plenty of arrows. Who knows, she might need to catch a rabbit or two along the road. Or maybe send a naughty wolf running. One never knows.

In the end, her leather bag on her shoulder, passed through the door and ran downstairs.

Akko and Sucy waited for the echo of her footsteps to disappear before they shared another glance.

"I will do my best to reach her night and day," Lotte said.

"You will, won't you," Sucy mused, her grin slowly disappearing from her face. She blinked, and rubbed her eyes. "I am still tired. It is so early in the morning!" She shook her head. "That Akko. Eloping with Cavendish, of all people. Watch my things, will you? I am going down to the forest. See if I can find a few more mushrooms before winter dries them all up."

 

-

 

Akko exited the dormitories, the leather bag on her shoulders, and breathed in the wind from the sea. Dawn had progressed just a little further up, but it was still so early the sky shone rosy and golden. Seagulls cried all around her, for some reason. Funny birds.

She felt a smile stretch her lips.

She was going to be fine. No matter the encroaching danger, or the madness that was travelling together with Diana of all people, she was going to be fine.

The sun broke from the hills, and it shone upon her hair. Turning, Akko took off her hat and waved it at the dormitories behind her.

"I am going to be back soon!"

How wrong she was.

 

-

 

From the highest floor in her tower, Professor Ursula watched as Akko and Diana left the harbours on their horses, grey for Diana, brown for Akko. They did not speak to each other. Diana sat straight, looking at the road in front of her, Akko had her head turned, and ignored the other Witch seemingly on purpose. On her shoulders bobbed her bow.

Ursula sighed.

"Oh, Powers," she said under her breath. "Have mercy on me and the depths of my folly."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And second chapter. I feel like this is going to be one of the shortest ones. As you can see Diana is not at all pleased, her worst nightmares just came true. Akko is also not enthusiastic.  
> Maybe something will make them change their minds? Who knows... surely I do not!  
> Maybe Sucy does.  
> That girl speaks in riddles and breathes secrets.  
> Oh, and Akko has a bow, as I made sure to point out, but rest assured, is most likely for show, is not like she's ever going to use it or something.
> 
> If you enjoyed the story, this would be the perfect moment to leave a kudo or a comment. Yes, it would be the perfect moment. Likely you won't get another like this, better seize it!
> 
> Next update on Thursday, when we will see a little more of the road... and a little more Diana/Akko interaction. Interakko? That sounded better in my mind.  
> See you soon!


	3. III - The road goes ever on, at times it does not

Akko was not pleased.

Not just because of the mission, though the mission was part of it.

Not just because it was Diana who was carrying the mysterious box they ought to bring to the White Witch, and not Akko. They seemingly trusted her enough to go on the mission, but not to carry that box? Was she some sort of page for the distinct, noble Diana Cavendish?

That she did not like, but the problem was, as always, Diana herself.

And Akko had tried to _like_ her, to be social, to… to strike a conversation, for example.

But the other Witch, faithful to her ways, only answered with a 'no' or - less often - a 'yes', leaving nothing else for Akko to grasp at and try to block the silence that gnawed at her.

Also, there was the matter of the distance. The journey would be longer than she expected.

Akko petted her horse as it trotted at a comfortable speed. Speed was of the essence, but one cannot push a horse's heart and lungs for days and hope it can last all the long leagues to the Iron Tower in the south. She missed Sucy and Lotte already.

All around them the road opened, now surrounded by trees and the remains of long-since abandoned buildings, drunkenly tilted to the right or to the left. They were empty and bereft of all life, except for where plants and birds had chosen them as their new home.

"What is this place," Akko asked, more to herself than anything.

Diana answered, this time, with something else than a yes or a no.

"There was a time when Luna Nova stretched all the way to Westerndale. That was the time of Beatrix and Woodward, and the rest of the Nine Olden Witches. Back then Witches kept all the North... the entire land, in fact, under their protection."

"And why is it like this now?"

Diana tossed her an annoyed glance.

"Did you sleep during history class?"

Akko, who often did, pouted and looked the other way.

That annoying Diana!

"Our power waned in time, as ever the darkness waxed. Now the roads are not safe any more, and the people we ought to help and protect shut themselves inside their walls, praying wolves or worse things do not devour them next." Diana shook her head. "It is a disgrace upon our kind and our call."

For a moment, Diana looked... preoccupied, deeply so. Akko had a brief glimpse at a different Witch, one who was as human as her, as much tainted with worries, doubts and failures, though hers might be on a totally different scale than Akko's.

But it was over quick. Diana's eyes travelled to Akko's side, and she sneered.

"And what about you? I hope you had the sense to change into less... revealing an outfit?"

Akko tilted her head. She knew she ought to feel insulted for some reason, but she was not sure why.

"Revealing?"

Diana shook her head and pointed her finger at Akko's legs.

"Less revealing, Kagari! You did not even cover yourself with a pair of trousers!"

Akko looked down. Ah.

Why would Diana be troubled by the fact she did not wear pants? Something eluded her.

Was she worried she might get a cold? But why would _Diana_ worry about her health? Was she some kind of doctor? Akko snickered at the thought. That was... just so out there.

"Are you _laughing_ at me, Kagari?"

Akko scoffed.

"Relax, your majesty. It did not occur me to wear pants, that's all."

"It did not _occur_ to you."

"Nope! This is the way we ride in my land, after all."

Diana arched an eyebrow.

Akko laughed and gently kicked her horse. It sprang forth. Akko grinned. Sure, she might get sleepy in history class, and she had never managed to lift a broom in her life, but...

She rose on her stirrups, her legs straight, took out her bow with one quick gesture, put an arrow in it, pulled the string and let the bow sing.

It hit the branch of a tree at one hundred feet away. The branch rattled and a small shower of golden leaves fall onto the road.

Smug, Akko turned, still standing in her stirrups, the wind caressing her legs.

For some reason, Diana was red in the face.

Akko frowned. Was she angry? Was Diana one of those Witches who thought no living thing ought to be harmed, as if it were made out of glass?

Diana smacked her lips and turned her head.

"I-I see, Kagari. Your martial prowess is appreciated. Still, I would appreciate it even more if you wore a pair of _trousers_."

Akko shrugged and sat down on her horse, scratching it behind its ears.

Diana was more confusing than ever.

When they reached the branch Akko had hit and she stood on her stirrups once more to retrieve her arrow, Diana's face reddened again.

 

-

 

Akko and Diana had their first argument at lunch.

They had left the ruins on the outskirts of Luna Nova, and sat beside the road, eating the simple sandwiches that had been prepared for them. Akko would have wanted to light a fire, but Diana had turned down the idea.

It would attracted attention. Dangerous enough to ride on the road.

Akko bit into her sandwich and thought about it no more. The fall woods all around them were full of gold and red and brown. She had spotted a few mushrooms peeking from the leaves. Sucy would be delighted.

Akko saw Diana pat an inside pocket in her dress, as if to make sure something was still there.

"So they gave it to you, uh?" Akko prodded. She was still a bit miffed by the decision. She _was_ responsible. Just because Miss-Ancient-Lineage there enjoyed higher marks, was pretty and beautiful and collected, and come from a powerful family... it did not mean Akko was not responsible.

She had _been_ responsible back home. She tended to flowers and excelled in archery. Her parents had been proud.

Magic was still new to her, that was all.

Even after three years at Luna Nova. But she _was_ improving. She was actually putting some work behind it, not like Diana, who had it all at birth and had not to lift one finger!

Diana, hearing her question simply nodded, finishing her sandwich and neatly folding the paper.

Akko had crumpled her own.

She felt like there was a statement there.

Still!

Why couldn't Diana say something more! Just _yes_ and _no,_ and a nod or a shake of her head.

Was Akko so unimportant Diana would only ever give her such a curt answer?

"Can I see it?"

Diana lifted her eyes from her lap, where a small book had taken the place of the sandwich.

For a moment, Akko's mind had a flash of Diana putting the book in her mouth and taking a bite out of it, always prim and proper. Maybe that was how she learned so much stuff. The image was so absurd and yet so _Diana_ that she had to clamp her lips shut to avoid bursting out in laughter.

"Why do you want to see it?" Diana's words were polite, as always, yet there was an undercurrent of doubt there that wounded Akko. She only wanted to see it, not to steal it or anything!

"I just want to... you know I'm curious!" Akko leaned back and fro from her seated position, her hands on her knees. She frowned. "I am your companion! I ought to know wha-"

"You are my companion, sure," Diana said, her eyes going back to fall on the pages, "Not through any wish of mine."

"Hey!" Akko sprang up, her fingers pointed at Diana. She saw her eyes dart for the tiniest fraction to her bared legs, then go back to look at the page, seemingly bored and unaffected as always. "I did not want you as well, you know? I would have preferred to go on this adventure with Sucy and Lotte, thank you very much! Or even someone more _pleasant_ than you. Like Amanda!"

Diana scoffed. For a moment, Akko had the impression the comparison had wounded more than her pride.

"You would have preferred O'Neill? O'Neill the Flying Witch? O'Neill the Wind-Tamer! O'Neill the Simple! O'Neill the Fool!" She cried out, no longer hiding her scorn. Diana appeared to Akko in that moment like a coiled snake. Akko's words had elicited something from her, something she had no idea existed. Akko held up her hands, as if to shield her from a bite.

A bite that did not come.

Diana blinked, the sneer on her face fading back to a frown, then a confused, slightly flushed expression.

She coughed in her fist.

"I apologize. That was uncouth of me."

"Y-yeah. Maybe a bit much. I did not know you and Amanda were..." Akko didn't want to say _enemies_ , but...

Diana's shoulders slumped. She closed the book.

"It is true I do not appreciate O'Neill carefree attitude, nor her boundless capacity for mischief, something..." her eyes flashed, "…she seems to have in common with other Witches I know. But I apologize. To you, and to her, even in her absence." Diana sighed. "This mission is taking a dire toll on me, Miss Kagari. Atop many other worries that cloud my mind and judgement alike."

"Yes, but... I had no idea you had it in for Amanda." Akko chuckled. "I thought it was just me you disliked that much."

Diana shook her head.

"I do not 'have it in' for O'Neill. As I said, my outburst was... a mistake. As for you, why are you under the impression I dislike you?"

Now it was Akko's turn to display a shocked expression.

What?

 _What_?

And from shock rose confusion.

"I'm sorry? Dia- _Cavendish_ , you are always picking up on me! You are always pointing out one mistake or the other!" Something prickled at the side of Akko's eyes. It must be the odd air of the wilderness, because, Powers, Akko Kagari would not... not in front of _Diana_ , of all people! "I didn't want to take this journey with you, I knew it would be like this! One venomous word after the other! And now you say... you say you don't _hate_ me? Are you just _playing_ with me?"

Akko balled her fists.

Diana leaned back, holding her hands up.

"Wait. Wait, please. Please calm down, Kagari."

"Why should I calm down? You insult one of my friends and you wish for me to... to... I only asked to see the box, you jerk!"

"Kagari!" Diana cried out. "Please listen."

"And now you're going to use that silver tongue of yours to make me feel even worse, won't you? Save your time!" Akko turned and walked off, her fists still balled.

"Kagari! Wait!"

Akko didn't turn back. A storm was raging in her heart, and everything else was pointless to her. Three years. Three years of bullying, of being told time and time again she was not good, could _not_ be a Witch, could _not_ meet Shiny Chariot, and now... and now... she was stuck with that _viper_ for who knows how many weeks!

Akko walked away, away from Diana and deep into the beech woods, her steps drawing just a hint of sound on the crumpled leaves.

 

-

 

Diana stood silent, still holding her book in her lap. What was all _that_ about? Since when Kagari was under the impression she _hated_ her?

For sure, if she managed to put a considerable number of miles between her and the brown-haired walking disaster, never would she be more content. And Kagari's lack of proper attire, among everything else, bothered Diana in a way that she found maddening, and the less she was forced to pry her eyes away from Kagari's lack of modesty, the better.

But she did not hate her. It would just make things much simpler is Kagari turned on her tail and went back to Luna Nova. She could. They had only spent half a day on the road.

And Diana had little patience for Kagari's outbursts.

Therefore she took the rational decision, and putting away the book and the rest of their stuff, she tied the horses together and led them together into the forest, after making sure she choose a particularly tall and dark beech as a landmark.

It didn't take her long to find Akko.

Kagari was sitting under a tree, scowling, holding her knees close to her chest.

A part of Diana was pushed to compassion by the sight.

She let go of her pride and walked until she was at a few paces away from Kagari. She sat down under another tree, at throwing distance from her. They might have looked like mirror images of each other.

Kagari was the first to open her mouth, but Diana talked first.

"I do _not_ hate you, Kagari. I am sorry if it I gave you that impression."

Kagari gritted her teeth, looking away.

"It was a pretty good impression, you know."

"If we have to make this journey together, I believe it is better if we clear every doubt before we take another step down the road. Would it not be a waste to bicker with each other every other league, all the way to the White Witch?"

Kagari sniffed, drying her eyes with the hem of her sleeve.

Diana felt the briefest impulse to wake up and give her a handkerchief.

It would have been _proper_.

"I guess. Whatever. You always get the best ideas."

Diana sighed. Now she was getting on her nerves once again. She had to stay calm.

"It is true I would have preferred to take this journey on my own. I had learned I can only count on myself in these situations."

Kagari scoffed.

"What about those two, always dangling at your tail?"

"Hannah and Barbara are dutiful friends. They might be extreme in their desire to protect me, but that is only because they have known me for a long time."

"Protect you? From what?" Kagari shook her head. "I can't imagine anything you might be protected from, Cavendish. Not with how perfect you are."

Diana blinked. The lightest blush rose to warm her cheeks, but she fought it back.

"Kagari..." Diana tried to explain, then stopped. She did not want to go there. Her family, her past history, was not for Kagari's ears. She would have to accept it at face value. There was also the matter of her wounded pride, and more, when Kagari had said she would have preferred to journey with O'Neill.

"As I said. I would have preferred to be alone. I have a few choice words for Professor Callistis when we get back. And among all the Witches I could have shared this journey with, you are the last one. You are obnoxious, loud, naive, immodest, and obsessively determined. These are dangerous, distracting qualities. I can do less with distractions." A pause. Kagari, though still balling her fists, had not interrupted her, which to Diana was a source of wonder. "But if the Powers have saddled me with your company for the length of this journey, I say: so be it! Just keep your temper in check, and I will make sure to... annoy you as little as possible."

Kagari listened in silence for long minutes. Just when Diana thought she would do something stupid, she shook her head and spoke.

"All this just to say you don't hate me." Kagari tilted her head, and there was a question in that movement.

Diana allowed herself a smile. She remembered the first time she had befriended a horse, holding out an apple for him.

"I do not hate you, Kagari. I try not to hate anyone, as hate is a pointless waste of energy."

Kagari then stood up, took a step towards her, pointing her finger at her.

"Well, I _also_ don't hate you! And I did-not-hate-you first! And you better behave, or I will really start to do it!" Her cheeks flushed, Kagari was coming back to her usual, loud, passionate mode. "And don't call me a failure any more!"

"I never called you a failure," Diana politely answered.

"And don't say mean things about Amanda any more!"

"That was my mistake, I apologize again."

"And don't speak ill of Professor Ursula, she's the best!"

"I am entitled to my own opinions about the teaching staff."

"And stop being always so calm and collected and cool and... and..." Kagari was now so red in the face Diana expected she'd pop a vein. She hoped she would not.

Instead, Kagari deflated, falling back against the tree.

A brief silence passed, not enough for Diana to hope Kagari was back to her senses.

"If you don't hate me, why have you been so mean with me these past three years?" Kagari shook her head, looking in front of herself, as if, if she squinted hard enough, she could see the solution beneath the fallen leaves. Then, in a whisper, maybe more towards herself than Diana:

"I really try, you know."

Diana pursed her lips.

This was yet another topic she would have preferred not to breach.

She would have preferred to ignore Akko Kagari completely. They were supposed to part ways shortly, were they not? The walking disaster would crash and burn somewhere along the way, and Diana would finally be ready to think about her own life, with no more distractions.

Kagari was bound to get bored, or scared, and go back to Luna Nova.

Was she not?

Why did Kagari Akko have to be so amazingly _stubborn_?

"I can see you trying," Diana said, surprising herself at the tenderness in her voice. "I see you trying and failing, and trying, and failing, and trying, again." Then her tone hardened. "And if you spent less time in childish endeavours and focused yourself on _studying_ , you would be much better than you are! Few things really irk me, Kagari, and chief among them is wasted talent! Take this journey as a chance to grow a little, as a Witch and as a woman alike!"

Diana stood up, and turned away from Kagari.

She had eluded her question, in a way. Mostly because Diana herself, who knew most answers before the question crossed the Professor's mind, was at a loss on how to continue this conversation.

"Now, if you are finished with your brooding, we have leagues to travel."

She untied the horses and jumped on her own.

Kagari was still looking at her. She seemed to be deep in thought, an image that Diana was not used at all to link to the walking disaster.

Kagari stood up, straightening her shirt. What little there was of it. Her lack of proper attire was _grating_.

"Shiny Chariot, and using magic for laughter and wonder… is _not_ a childish endeavour," Kagari stated. "And I am going to meet her one day or another. It is the reason why I departed from my country and my family, Cavendish."

She took a long sigh and shrugged.

"But I think I can take the rest of the journey with you. If you stop calling me a failure."

"I _never_ called you a failure," Diana had to stress.

"Well you did in my mind! You'll have to apologize!"

Kagari walked up to her horse, and without another word, kicked it into a quick trot, towards the road.

"Well, what are you waiting for?!" She cried over her shoulder.

Diana shook her head.

Kagari really was impossible.

But if she kept a clear head, they could bear each other's presence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing this chapter was a joy. I like autumn, and I like woods. It's natural that I like woods in this season. Add Akko and Diana and the mixture gets explosive. They still have their differences (and this is going to come into play pretty soon), but it shows they can work together when the situation calls for it. I also like to show Diana might have a few burgeoning feelings for Akko, hidden under her cuirass of emotional control. And Akko might... who knows what Akko feels? You will probably, as you keep following this tale! 
> 
> Thank you again for all the amazing comments! It's beautiful to see the comments and kudo you leave, and there's even two people who bookmarked this! Thank you! I'll try to make it worth your while. Thank you for following this tale, I'll try my best.  
> Closing on this emotional note, it would be an amazing time to leave a comment or a kudo. Not likely you're going to get a better one soon. Better seize it and do it now!
> 
> See you on Saturday!


	4. IV - Akko and the art of cart repairing

It happened the next day.

Akko was not the kind of person who would accept ‘no’ for an answer, at least not the first seven times. She rode up to Diana, and made her request clear once again:

“Come on! Can’t I see it? You said you would-”

“Do not twist my words, Kagari,” Diana answered, piqued.

“Oh, please! I just want to know how it looks like! Why can’t you trust me!” Akko shook the reins, restless. “I promise I will get a pair of pants as soon as I can! Come on! I promise!”

Diana blushed and looked away, as if she found a patch of grass or a tree branch much more interesting than looking at Akko.

“I-” She stumbled. “I do not care about your clothing, Kagari! Do as you please. It concerns me not.”

“But why can’t I just take a look? What if...” Akko’s eyes shone. She got it! “What if it gets lost, or if you put it somewhere or you forget it and I don’t know how it does look like then I couldn’t find it and we’re going to waste time and-”

Diana’s azure eyes came back to fixate on Akko. A thunderous mood peeked through them, enraged like a storm wave.

“You… you are _never_ going to stop your endless line of requests, are you, Kagari?”

Akko shook her head, making her hair flail against her shoulders.

“Uh-uh! When I want something, I get it!”

Anger flickered in Diana’s eyes, but it was a tired spark, a defeated one.

“I suppose it would be less of a hassle if I were to show you.”

“Yes! Thank you thank you thank you Dia-”

Diana put her finger onto Akko’s lips, stopping her. Akko’s eyes crossed to look at it. It was warm and smooth against her lips, and it felt at the same time foreigner and welcome.

“But I want to hear no more requests from you for a whole day after this! You are going to do as I say. Am I clear?”

Then Diana withdrew her finger, slightly red in the face. Maybe she was a little cold, or something. Akko hoped she was not angry! She was trying so _hard_ to stay on her good side, but she also wanted to take a look…

“Deal!” Akko squeaked, already too giddy at the prospect of _finally_ winning the argument to worry about Diana’s words or strange mannerism.

Daian sighed and slowed down her horse. Akko did as the same, as the moment the animals came back to be level with each other, Diana put her fingers inside her clothes – a movement that set something stirring inside Akko’s chest, but it was probably due to the fact she was about to see the mysterious thingie – and withdrew a small, square iron box.

She did not give it to Akko, though, even if she held her hands out.

“You asked to _take a look at it_ , not to _hold it_ , Kagari.”

“Oh, come _on_! It was obvious I wanted to touch it! It was...”

“If it was so obvious, you should have said so. Now, are you satisfied?”

“A minute,” Akko said. She pouted. Diana could be so _mean_! And clever. But mean-clever, in this case at least. It was not Akko’s fault at times she stumbled on her own words. She had thought it obvious she wanted to hold the box in her hands, not like she was going to ride off on her horse!

Still, looking at it, a lot of Akko’s interest waned. It was such an unremarkable thing. Small, maybe as large as her fist if she was being generous, grey and featureless, holding who knows what. In fact, Akko’s curiosity shifted like a line of beads on an abacus’ wire. Professor Ursula did tell her not to open it!

But that made her want to open it even more! Who knows what was inside!

Still, she had given her word…

And Kagari Atsuko was not one to betray her own words.

No matter how much she wanted to take a peek inside.

Something occurred to her.

“Hey, what if-” she began to say, only for the two of them to hear a noise of rustling leaves further down the road, from behind a curve. Quick, Diana pocketed the box once more, and for good measure she reined her horse further to the left, away from the centre of the road. Akko followed her a moment later. They had yet to meet someone on the road. Could it be… something dangerous? Maybe something had followed them, or was meeting them to block their path? Then it would be up to her open the way, and maybe Diana would show her magical prowess. Ah, not, wait they were also supposed not to use magic…

Before Akko could wonder whether a Yamata-No-Orochi was going to appear, her hopes and fears were both dashed by the sight of a small, old, creaking cart, wobbling by, covered by a dark brown cloth. A fat man sat at the helm. He lifted his head from a book he was reading as the single horse pulled the cart on the road and looked at them.

“Aye,” he called. His voice was coarse, and Akko had the impression he had seen him somewhere else before. She was a bit disappointed nothing exciting had happened yet.

“Hi,” Akko greeted him back, waving his hand. Diana frowned and kept on riding her horse, not even looking at the man.

“Such a lovely couple,” the man commented.

Diana froze, what was visible of her face under the hood locked in an expression of crimson shock.

Akko could not understand why. It was two of them on the road, it would make a couple of them. Sounded the kind of logic that appealed to miss Perfect Witch, right there. She scratched her forehead just as Diana regained the use of the mouth.

“We are _no_ couple, traveller. In fact, we are in a rush. If you will excuse us.” She whipped the reins and was about to spring into a gallop, but the man lifted a hand.

“Hey, lass, I just meant to say, you know, good morning or something. Calm down. You people are all so testy or something.”

“Your cart is broken,” Akko commented when she lost interest in Diana’s strangeness. She was getting used to her odd outbursts.

The man laughed as she pointed at the right wheel of the cart, held together by cloth.

“Ha! You have good eyes, lass. Yea, bumped on a rock on the road just halfway past Westerndale. Going to Luna Nova to sell the rest of my stock.”

Akko perked up.

“To Luna Nova?”

“Aye! Are you two, you know, Witches? I might have you interested in some of my wares.” The man slowed down the cart, slipping into a sales pitch with consummate ease. “I have bone candles from the east, and Sorcery Stones, great ones! I also...”

“Nothing you might have would be of any interest to us,” Diana tried to cut him short. “And we may not part with a single coin.”

“Wait,” Akko interrupted her, “you said you are going to Luna Nova? Can you say hi to Lotte and Sucy for me?”

The man scratched his head.

“I dunno lass, do I look like a delivery boy? Just write them a letter.”

“Come on! I just asked for a little favour!”

“Sorry lass, winter is approaching and I have no time to waste after favours! The land is dark enough without unsold merchandise, thank you very much!”

“What do you mean, merchant?” Diana’s mood had also darkened.

“You should know, if you are leaving the safety of cities this late in fall. Roads are not safe any more. I am going to sell my stock and then go back to Berg as fast as possible.”

“Why would you sell your stock in Luna Nova?” Akko asked. She longingly looked at the cart. Who knows what kind of stuff was there… maybe something that could help them in their mission?

“Ha!” The man laughed. “And where else could I push this kind of stuff? Nobody is buying Witchen stuff any more,” he said shaking his head. “A man has to get returns on his investments.”

Akko frowned. She did not like the picture the man painted. Sure, she _knew_ magic was in decline, and had been for a long time. But it was one thing to know it – though she _was_ going to show everybody they were wrong to disregard magic, just wait! - it was a completely different experience to touch it by first hand. Such as yesterday’s ruins, and now this merchant, getting rid of what he could.

“Tell you what,” Akko said. “If we help you with your cart, will you give us some of your merchandise?”

The man laughed, coarsely.

“Come on, lass, if I gave out stuff for free, I would have gone out of business ages ago! Nay! But you did want to send words to those friends of yours, didn’t you?”

Akko nodded.

“Yes! Lotte is short and blonde-haired and has large glasses, and Sucy, you will likely find her in the forest, sh-”

“Hold on. You help me out first and then we’ll talk.”

“Enough with this madness!” Diana cried out. She headed the horse towards Akko, circling her and pushing her forward. “I am sorry for your accident, but we are, as I pointed out before, quite busy. Kagari, let’s go.”

“Wait,” Akko replied, holding onto her reins. The horses whinnied, responding to the tense situation. “He may say hi to your two friends as well! Can you not, mister?”

The man sneered.

“Now you’re pushing it, but if you do a good job...”

“See? Don’t you want to let Hannah and Barbara know you are alright?”

Something flickered in Diana’s eyes. An echo, a glimpse of the different Diana, the one who had human problems and human responsibilities, the one who was far from the loftier Cavendish, who shared Akko’s worries and age.

“We do not have the _time_ , Kagari.”

“It’s going to be quick! I know how to repair a cart! I did it with my father!”

Diana sighed.

“Is there _anything_ you did not do with your father?” She replied, in a strange, tense tone. Then she sighed. “One hour, Kagari. Make it count.”

“Thank you! I will!”

The man tilted his head.

“One hour? I thought you were Witches and all, just shake your wand and it will get fixed.”

“It’s not that simple,” Akko answered, jumping down from her horse. For some reason, Diana’s eyes followed her movement, and she blushed slightly once again. “Our… we have to save magic for the winter,” she lied.

The man snorted.

“Ha! Then my wares are going to be even more needed. Quick, lass, what do you need?”

“Let’s see...” Akko replied as she crouched next to the broken wheel.

 

-

 

Diana had never seen someone repair a cartwheel. She had known, in some distant part of her existence, people had to. After all, carts and wheels and wooden beams were subjected to wear and tear and the passing of time. But the people who did such menial jobs and Diana Cavendish had never met before, happily ignoring each other’s existence. Now, instead, her eyes were fascinated by the focused, set look on Kagari’s face, as her hands worked with on the wheel with confident quickness, like she could do this blind.

She had often seen the same kind of focused wheel on her face, but when magic was involved, it was usually the sign to duck for cover. Now, instead, Kagari worked with… grace.

Kagari sawed off the broken beam of the wheel, took one look at its shape and asked for more tools by the merchant.

“Careful, lass. I don’t want you to make more of a mess than it already is,” he said, passing her a small rusted hammer.

“Don’t worry. I did this often. In my land we use many carts, and some of them go even up on hills. This kind of stuff happens a lot. Now, I need a branch...”

Akko went looking for a particular piece of wood. In the meantime, Diana stood on her horse, feeling a little bit bored, and excited, and fascinated, and feeling stupid because she couldn’t decide on one sensation.

Akko Kagari made her feel quite stupid, quite often. She was supposed to say she did not like it, but…

“There!” Akko came back holding a dark brown wooden piece. She sat on a slab of rock – showing off yet a larger expanse of creamy tight, the little scoundrel! Once she was finished with this distraction Diana would have a few words with her – and began to cut and shape the branch with a large knife.

Diana winced as Kagari’s fingers worked with a swiftness she had only seen in the hands of cooks and experienced carpenters. The branch shed its bark, revealing a clear, polished interior. Kagari began to shape its ends – so that it could fit in the rest of the wheel’s framework, of course. Diana felt strangely proud of having understood that.

She had no idea why.

Kagari asked for some glue, but there was no glue, so she asked for nails, but the merchants had no nails, so she asked for water.

Diana frowned. Why water?

Akko seemed to know her trade, though. She set the repaired beam among the others – it seemed to fit to Diana’s eyes, was not that enough? - and then began to wash it over with water.

Ah, of course.

Diana remembered when one of her mansions’ wooden gates creaked and stiffened after rain. It often got stuck.

After a few more minutes, the wooden beam, now darkened, seemed much safer. The merchant pushed his horse a few tentative steps forward, and the cart did not wobble any more.

“My word, lass! You did an amazing job! And so quick! This kind of stuff in Berg was going to cost me an arm and a-” he bit his tongue.

“Yes, you were saying?” Diana prompted.

“Nothing, nothing,” he coughed. “Adequate, that’s all.”

Akko ignored him.

“I’m glad! Just remember to wash the beam with water to keep it stiff. And put some nails in as soon as you can.”

“Will do, lass, will do. Thank you. Now, if we are quite done here...”

“Yes, my friend is Lotte, as I was saying,” Akko explained, not giving time to the merchant to leave. “She’s a blonde, but her hair may look red, if you look at them just right. She has freckles. The other is Sucy, she’s brooding and a little scary and might offer you something to drink but please don’t accept it. I think she’s changed but she might be up to practical jokes.”

“Aye...” the merchant said, not at all convinced by Akko’s description.

“Please tell them I miss them both and that I will come back soon! And tell them it’s going great with Diana! Tell them not to worry! And that...”

“Calm down, lass. Keep it short. Tell them not to worry and you and your companion are not killing each other. Anything else?”

“That I miss them!”

“Alright. What about you?” The merchant looked at Diana. She frowned.

“I, uh… I did not help at all with this endeavour, why should I...”

“Come on!” Akko prompted her, “Ask for something!

“Very well, then… I have two friends. Hannah England and Barbara Parker. Please tell them everything is fine so far. And I am going to come back safe and sound.”

“Will do!” The merchant said at last, nodding.

With no more words, he whipped the reins and his cart, creaking and wobbling no more, left them both.

Diana saw Akko kept watching him until he disappeared behind a corner. She seemed preoccupied.

“Anything wrong?” She wasn’t used to worry about Kagari’s well-being, but she supposed Kagari was still her companion. She might do an exception here. “You could have get paid for your work. In fact, you should-”

“No, it’s not that,” Akko replied. “It’s just… he’s going to sell his last batch, is he? Then no more magic supplies?”

“Magic is dwindling,” Diana replied in a sigh. “And there is little fat merchants may do about it.”

“Well, maybe _I_ can,” Akko sat under her breath, and she had the same set, focused expression she displayed when she had repaired the wheel.

Diana doubted Akko Kagari, of all people, could repair magic the way a carpenter could.

But she did not want to burst her bubble. And there was something… compelling in the way she was so self-assured.

Something… beautiful.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, the joys of hindsight. I have already about 30K words written of this story since I began it in early November, but I felt like I needed a little scene before the next chapter to be published, the one we will see on Monday. Also, I wanted Akko and Diana to interact more, and to show off Akko's usefulness. They are restrained in the use of magic, and this has to show off Akko's manual skills, while Diana contrasts for her knowledge, charisma, and magical prowess. These two are a lot of fun to read.  
> My favourite line from this chapter is: 'Akko’s curiosity shifted like a line of beads on an abacus’ wire'.
> 
> Next time we will see the reason why they better not use magic. Things are bound to get exciting.
> 
> Hope you had fun with this chapter! Thank you all for your bookmarks, kudos and comments! I am glad you are having fun! Knowing your reactions helps me push more chapters out and in time, so please leave a comment. Come on, I know you want to...
> 
> See you on Monday, have a great weekend!


	5. V - The Night is all around us

 

For a time, it seemed the journey was going smoothly.

This close to Luna Nova, and, day by day, approaching the great fortress of Westerndale, it was easy to forget the shadow and the fear, and get lost in the beauty of the woods.

Akko often found it easy.

She did not have beeches in her own country, and their glory in fall reminded her of the spring ceremonies around cherry trees, only with another color and the other way around. In the air was the scent of musk, the warmth of the sun was still strong enough to pass for a memory of summer. They made sure to pay attention to ration their food and water, so that it would last comfortably to Westerndale, and from there to Berg, and from there to the road, as after Berg they would not meet another major settlement until they reached the tower of the White Witch.

Diana, as Akko spied her from atop her brown horse, seemed to, if not enjoy, at least tolerate her presence. Even after the encounter with the merchant, she spoke little, reading and writing in a small book when they rested. The one brief argument they had took place over whether to light a fire, because Akko was cold, and it had been settled with Diana sharing one of her blankets with Akko.

Akko would have still preferred to light a fire. She liked fire. It reminded her of that time with the lights and echoes of flames she experienced with Shiny Chariot, and the warmth in her heart the Grey Witch had created inside her, but the gesture was so kind - and unexpected, coming from a Cavendish - that she had to accept.

All this was, Akko had decided, becoming quite a fun adventure!

For all the worries Diana seemed to have and Professor Ursula as well, the journey was easy, the road wide, and the sky bright.

Things were looking good.

The single other thing that bummed Akko was not being able to use magic.

Her wand hung useless at her side.

She had felt the itch to just practice a little more. They were alone, and Akko wouldn't even make some large and fantastic spell, just a bit of practice, something not to get rusty.

When they'd get in Westerndale, then. Akko had told herself she could practice there. After all, protected by those tall walls of stone, what could they fear?

So day passed after day, and six had been counted since they had left Luna Nova when, one morning, something fell on Akko's mind, like the far-away shadow of a bird of prey.

Something was not right.

She woke up next to Diana, who still slept. Akko looked at her for a moment, sleeping on her side, one hand under her pillow. She was struck by the impulse to reach inside her clothes and take another look at the mysterious box.

Her hand moved towards Diana.

But she was so peaceful, and after the uneasy truce they had managed to settle, Akko did not want to make her mad. Not really.

And there was this other feeling... she stood up, the only moving thing in the forest.

The sun was rising already, the golden light filtering through the branches. In the almost-week they had spent away from Luna Nova, fall had progressed enough now there were as many leaves on the trees as there were on the soil, and those still up had almost all turned red with the slow bonfire of autumn, as if they were angry. As if it was a warning.

Akko was cold.

She covered herself in the blanket they shared. Maybe miss prim and proper had a point about wearing a pair of pants, but then again with the cloth between her skin and the horse, she might be able to read his movements worse. It might make the difference between hitting a mark and a dangerous miss.

Why was she thinking of danger?

There was no danger.

This morning seemed off, in all kind of ways.

She did not like it. The woods around the road seemed to call on to her, as if they were hollow, and yet filled with dancing whispers and shadows.

Akko shook Diana awake.

The Witch blinked and regarded Akko with a strange expression.

"Akk-... Kagari? What are you doing? What hour it is?"

"I don't know, and I don't care. I don't like this place," Akko answered, while Diana rubbed her eyes and stood up.

"It's the same we settled in yesternight, and you did like it enough back then, Kagari."

"Well I don't like it now! And I think we should go, and go fast!"

Akko folded the blanket and began to pick up whatever they had left on the road. Diana looked at her with a stunned expression on her face.

"What has gotten into you, Kagari?"

"No idea. I just don't like this place. I feel like something is watching me."

Diana seemed to consider her words. She looked deep into the woods, pursing her lips, then deep into Akko's own eyes. Whatever thoughts were running in Diana's mind, for maybe the first time she seemed to wholeheartedly agree with Akko.

"Let us take our leave."

Morning progressed with little change. Though Akko did not feel like she was being scrutinized again, the woods that had seemed so enchanting and pleasant just the day before were now empty and seemed in ruin. Shadows seemed to coil beneath every stone, and silence breathed in her ear instead of birds.

Akko was uneasy, her bow at the ready.

Yet she knew her bow would be little defense if something truly dangerous attacked them. Something was coming, she was positive. And she could not use her magic.

Now, Akko knew she was not the best at magic. Maybe not even the most average. But she had a few tricks up her sleeve, and she could think quick on her feet if anything else failed. It had worked for her so far.

But without magic, she was as lost as a nightingale taken in a hunter's net. And she did feel inside a net, a web, invisible whispers and the promise of danger always placing their caress on her.

"Dia-... Cavendish. Cavendish, hey. I feel like we should do some practice."

Akko moved her horse to stand side by side with Diana.

"Practice? We can't stop to have you play with your bow, Kagari."

"No, I meant practice with our magic!"

Diana frowned.

"We can't use magic. It's prohibited."

Akko shook her head.

"Well, I feel like we are going to need it. We are getting rusty, Cavendish. What if something happen? What if..."

"Kagari," Diana replied, her voice stern. "I thought we had a deal. We have to respect the rules given to us. No magic, not now, not ever."

"Why?" Akko rattled the reins. Her horse answered with an uneasy whinny at her anxiety. "Why? It's not like it's going to change anything! We have to be prepared!"

Akko panted, heavily. The woods, the branches, the cold, it all seemed to get closer and closer, to take her and bring her into the dark corners of the heart, where her wails would reach no ear. There was _something_ here, she felt it, she knew it, and it was looking for her!

Diana blinked, leaned towards her, and put a hand on Akko's forehead. Her clear azure eyes seemed to focus on Akko, and she felt drawn in, like she could swim in those pools. Her head swam and she swayed on the horse.

"Ak-... Kagari! Hey!"

Diana's hands held her up as Akko blinked, as she seemed to lose all her strength.

She only vaguely heard Diana speak in a commanding voice, cold and clear, echoing all around them.

"Whoever you are, spirit or mortal, begone! For you face the heir to the House of Cavendish! And by Word and Tide I shall cast you unto the Abyss!"

Akko felt like something was being withdrawn from her mind, as if a coiled bramble had been lifted from her head, or a murder of crows, speaking obscenities.

She blinked and the world came back into focus. The oppressive silence was gone. The air was once more clear and fresh, and she was just a young Witch on a horse, looking into Diana's deep azure eyes.

Was there... concern in them?

"Dia-" Akko opened her mouth, only for Diana to realize what had been done, and detach herself from Akko as if she has been scalded. Akko wobbled on the horse, and sat herself straight once more.

Diana, looking a bit rosy around the ears, regarded her still with a focused, intense gaze.

"How do you feel? Speak, Kagari!"

"I... uh... I feel fine? I felt like I had a fever, but now is gone."

Diana looked at her for a long moment. Akko had a feeling she would draw her wand at any moment.

Then it passed. Diana's shoulders slumped, and she shook her head.

"You had me worried for a moment." Diana licked her lips. She took a long sigh. Now she was the one looking tired. She lowered her hood, making her long blonde hair shine in the sun. "I thought... never mind."

"No, tell me. What happened?"

Diana hesitated.

"Hey! We had a deal! Please don't make me angry with you again."

Diana put the hood back on. Her azure eyes regarded the road.

"I do not wish to speak of evil things, not when they brushed against us so close. But I shall just let you know you had me worried, Kagari. Just for a moment. A shadow had fallen upon your brow."

Akko frowned. What did she mean? Could she meet someone who would not speak in riddles when she asked them?

"What... what do you mean?"

"Long have we walked, unseen by the black Enemy. We have forgotten His gaze. It seemed... it seemed to me it had settled upon you."

"What?" Akko looked around. What enemy? Were they being attacked?

"Save your energies, Kagari. Whatever it might have been, it has passed. It will not try the same trick again. This I hope, and this I fear."

Akko still was confused. All this speaking of enemies and darkness had her worried, too. She had only come here to look for Shiny Chariot and complete her training. All this stuff with black things hiding in the woods was a bit out of her depths, thank you very much.

And there was the fact Diana had...

"Hey, so, what did you do? I never heard you speak in that voice! Was that some kind of spell?"

"Something like that," Diana explained, not explaining. Akko pouted.

"Ahhh, you and your riddles! It's always the same, with you and the Professor, never saying things as they are!"

Diana regarded her with a more sympathetic gaze. A hint of smile danced on her lips.

"Akko, if I were to tell you everything, we would be still here in spring, and summer after that. And I have a hunch you would fall asleep in the first ten minutes."

Akko blushed.

And did Diana just call her by name?

"Whatever, Cavendish. Just give me the short version."

"So be it. I cannot be sure about the shadow that almost had you for a moment, but I am positive it is related to the black Enemy. And this is a name even you must have heard, in your far-away Country, as an echo of evil days."

Akko nodded. They had their own traditions, but she remembered the tales of encroaching darkness, and the days when swords and courage both faltered, and the land whole was overtaken by cries and gnawing teeth.

"In past times, the Enemy rose, and was then cast down. Cast down, but not banished. Diminished, but not destroyed. The thought of many who listen, these days, is that the darkening of the woods, the whispers that roam in the cities, and the wails lingering in the night all speak of one thing. The Enemy is returning."

"R-returning?" Akko once more looked around them, expecting some kind of monster to spring out of the woods and gobble them both.

"Fear not, Kagari. The Enemy is not here. Were He, no amount of magic or luck could save us. A comforting thought, in its own way. He is still not strong enough to cast patience and secrecy aside! And if that truly was His shadow, you resisted better than most."

"But why... I felt like... I needed..." Akko's eyes moved towards her wand. She had felt the need to use it. To break the rules.

"Nothing the Enemy hates more than us Witches, Kagari. For the Nine Witches of old cast Him down once. And always He listens, always He looks for a leyline of magic, like a wolf follows scent. This is the chief and most important reason not to use magic! For if His servants were to find us..." and Diana left it at that.

Akko laughed, but it was a shrill laughter.

"But you are here, are you not? Diana Cavendish!" Akko patted on Diana's shoulder. "You are so amazing and powerful and you get the best marks and everything! He's not going to get past you, is he?" Diana did not laugh. She did not even smile. If anything, the grip on her reins grew tighter. "I-is he?"

"Let's not speak of ill tidings anymore."

Diana rushed her horse forward, and Akko followed in suit.

They did not say another word, and behind them, the woods seemed to close in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Evil tidings approach! Akko just had a brush with real peril, there! What would have happened if Diana had not been there? And it looks like there's also more to Diana than it meets the eye... who knows, maybe we will get an answer to this sort of riddles and more? *whistles* Don't ask me!
> 
> Five chapters in, and we're touching the first true hints of drama. I wanted to include the mandatory bathing scene in this chapter, but I realized it would be better suited for another one, and it would have split this chapter's tone in two. What would you prefer, by the way? Longer chapters, but with multiple scenes and tones inside or shorter one but with more homogenous a tone? I would prefer to see if I can manage to publish 50K of this story before the end of November, but maybe I have been a little too optimist, who knows... I have written 36K and published by now only 13K, but I like this comfy release schedule. Decisions, decisions...
> 
> By the way, thank you all who read, leave a kudo and comment on this story! I also write to keep in touch with people and share experiences and feelings and so far your support has been great! I am writing in a niche fandom and I love to see so many people who like the story! Thank you! I hope you will keep on supporting me... and you know, clock is ticking: it's that time of the week again. The time to leave a comment!
> 
> See you on Thursday. On related news, Lotte should really see if she can contact Akko trough those spirits of hers, should she not? Surely no danger is ever going to come out of it...


	6. VI - The hunted

 

Three days had passed since their brush with the shadow of the Enemy. Diana had felt her strength slowly come back, her bones did not feel as cold as before. Proffering a Word of Command had cast aside the attention of the Enemy, but it had left her emptied. She had concealed her weakness from Kagari behind her usual facade of confidence, but on the inside she despaired. For if even such a brief encounter with the tiniest tendril of the Enemy had been enough to break her, what could she do in the future? Dark clouds loomed on the horizon, and her mood had soured, for the first time in a manner unrelated to Kagari's antics.

Her companion had also seemed shaken by what had happened. She spoke less and repeated words under her breath, in her own language, which Diana could not understand. Always her bow was at the ready.

Still, they met not a sign of the presence of the Enemy for three days. All was fine. The sun shone once more, and though a cold wind had begun to raise in the morning, it was the clear freshness of late fall and the greeting bow of winter to come, not the bonechill of the Enemy.

And in time, even His shadow passed.

Kagari came back to her old ways, being loud and obnoxious, just like Diana was getting used to... though one wouldn't say endeared. Whenever they stopped for food or sleep, Kagari practiced with her bow. To Diana, the wheeze of Kagari's arrows and their satisfied _thunk_ when they hit their mark was becoming a familiar sound.

 _Unfamiliar_ was, instead, the feeling of safety in the presence of Kagari. Without the abyss in magic prowess dividing them, Kagari showed a side to her Diana had not yet seen. She had maybe seen a few glimpses, of course, but not this way, and not this deeply.

Kagari was swift, her aim true, and she sang when she hit the target, in her high, clear voice. It made Diana feel like, in a battle that did not require magic, she could be of some help.

And if the Enemy showed up by Himself, magic would be a moot point anyway.

Therefore, one morning came when they decided to take a break and give the horses some deserved rest.

Diana smiled at Kagari as she hit a high target at two hundred feet away. The branch rattled and shook, shedding the few leaves still attached to it.

These days the wind was so cold Kagari had to admit she needed a pair of pants. Thankfully - obviously - Diana had a spare. It was another odd sensation, to see Kagari wearing her pants. They were a bit long for her, and a bit too tight. Especially around...

"In-Yo-In-Yo!" Cried out Kagari, distracting Diana from the direction her thoughts were taking.

Kagari turned towards her, a large smile upon her face.

"Did you see that, Diana? I hit that pretty good, didn't I?"

Diana, feeling generous, clapped and smiled as well, if anything to hide her own flushed face.

"That you did." Diana scrambled her thought for a way to move the conversation away from the obtrusive thoughts that had crawled in her mind as she had watched Kagari. "Ah! Where did you learn archery?"

"It's a tradition where I live," Kagari explained, shrugging. "We also deal with flowers and tea and all kind of old-timey stuff." She scratched her neck. "Heh, not my kind of fun. I if I had not met Shiny Chariot, I would not have come here, and probably still be doing those weird rituals. I would not have even found out I was a Witch!"

Diana kept to herself her thoughts on how much of a Witch Kagari could be, and simply nodded.

"The Grey Witch is that important for you, is she not?"

"Yes! I can't wait to meet her again! Maybe we'll find her on our journey! Wouldn't that be awesome!?"

Kagari, as starry-eyed and self-absorbed as she was in her glee, could not really see Diana's own doubtful expression.

The Grey Witch had left an impression in her own life, but she did not like to think about it. Her feelings about Shiny Chariot's actions were... ambivalent. Ambivalent at best.

As for the White Witch... she was even more secluded than Shiny Chariot. Croix Meridies. That was a name Diana hadn't heard in a long time... who knows what she was doing, in her tall tower, all alone? No, not alone...

"Hey, Diana! I'm going to take the arrows back, keep a look on my stuff!" Kagari distracted her once more.

"Sure... Kagari," Diana answered, a bit surprised at the fact Kagari had called her with her name.

The brow-haired Witch ran forward, carefree and laughing. The passage of the Enemy, that had left such a deep impression on Diana's mood, seemed by then to have barely dented Kagari's good spirit. If this was due to her abundancy of heart or her scarcity of wit, Diana would not say.

Such a troublesome person.

Still, they were getting closer. Four days to Westerndale. Behind the hills to the east, and then around twilight lake. They could rest a couple days in Westerndale, get the horses groomed... and Diana herself would sell her right hand for a warm bath right now. Luckily she had contacts in Westerndale...

She closed her eyes and let the wind fall upon her brow. No matter how impossible life was Kagari, and no matter the arising Enemy... this was a pleasant afternoon.

It would be that last one for a while.

 

-

 

To Lotte, classes and life at Luna Nova were not the same. Without Akko, her life came back to the lull it used to be before meeting her. Yet it also lacked that spark of adventure, playful chaos and discovery Akko seemed to bring with herself. Even Sucy had seemed somber. Well, more than usual. She spent a lot of time in the forest, looking for mushrooms, she said. In the forest, by herself.

The atmosphere had changed in the whole of Luna Nova. The ships, that used to come in the harbor this time of the year, had not showed up. The line of merchants coming from Berg and Westerndale had not been spotted.

Nobody came to Luna Nova.

Even among the Professors one could see uneasy looks, words exchanged in corners when the students were not listening, or when they seemed not to. For Lotte had learned early in her life that the less you spoke, the more people spoke in your stead. And the more you listened, the more likely you were to catch something interesting. It was not like she was a busybody or anything. Leave that to the two Witches dangling at Diana's tail.

No, it just happened. Between her appearance and her habit of reading, people felt confident in speaking around her. And she heard some whispers she did not like.

Professor Ursula seemed especially jumpy. Just like Sucy, more than her usual.

Her lessons had devolved into a mess, leaving time for the students to snore, or brood, or speak, while she seemingly scratched old rhymes on the blackboard, mumbling at herself. Something about words and stars and some other nonsense. All their Professors had their own quirks, but Ursula at times seemed downright weird. No wonder she and Akko liked each other so much.

Lotte had tried to ask the Professor about Akko and her whereabouts, but Ursula had always shied away from the question, and wanted to tell nothing about this supposedly important mission. Therefore, in the end Lotte tired of half-measures, and decided to take the situation in her own hands.

Thankfully, given what would happen, she decided to do so while Sucy was in the room.

Lotte was still a bit self-conscious about using her particular strand of magic while someone was looking, but the last few years taught her Sucy would not judge, and would likely not even show interest. Was she interested? With Sucy it was hard to tell, especially these days. Akko's leave had left a hard-to-see, but definite toll on her. Lotte hoped this would lift her mood as well.

She sat at her desk, drew her wand, and began to hum a song. At first it seemed she was merely reciting some nursery-rhyme to herself, but as her song grew in power and melody, all kind of translucent spirits began to appear in front of her, under her welcoming gaze and the seemingly-disinterested look from Sucy.

Now here came the tricky part. As skilled as Lotte was with this kind of magic, there was more to conversation with spirits than just asking politely. _Can you find a Witch named Akko, please? She's this tall and tends to leave a trail of destruction behind herself?_

Wouldn't be of much help.

Thus Lotte closed her eyes, still singing, and expanded her awareness to that of the spirits around them. Inside her inner eye, she saw in confused colours and images Luna Nova, with its tall towers and wide haven, the figures of students and Professors moving about. It was a bit like watching the world from a damp window. She got the gist of it, but she was still far from getting a clear view.

Lotte jumped from sight to sight, like a monkey might do with branches in the far-away land from which Akko came, her vision changing. It showed the strong white wall of Luna Nova, and the steel gates that had protected it. It went on to the forest, looking for the road.

The leaves of the trees were a deep brown or red, and the road was empty. Lotte jumped from spirit to spirit, trying to look for Akko and Cavendish. As she extended her awareness away from Luna Nova, though, she found the resistance from the spirits increase. She was familiar enough to the spirits near the academy, but those were stranger to her. Wild and fey they were, and slow to trust. Lotte found her research slow down, and often had to repeat her song just to ask for a quick peek.

And ever she went on and on, detaching herself from Luna Nova and Lotte's body, losing just the tiniest bit of herself with every jump. A part of Lotte sprung up in red-hot warning: she had never been this far with her vision. She risked... risked getting lost, or, even not to find the way back home, her own spirit forever stretched between those she used as waypoints. Her body would wither and lose all sense in the room, while she looked for Akko for all eternity.

But Lotte was stronger than this, and she pushed onwards. Her will was set, as was her magic. Never shall be said there was another Witch, in Luna Nova or anywhere, who was more skilled than Lotte Yanson in spirit communion, or more brave in pushing her limits when spirits did not answer.

Thus she proceeded. And far-away, she saw something. Two figures, alone, on a pair of horses, speaking as they proceeded down the road. Lotte was so far from her anchor that the image was confused, jittery, coming to her as if through a veil of hot vapour.

Bur her heart jumped. They were together, and safe! Lotte jumped forward. Might as well say hi to Akko, tell her how much she misse-

Wait.

Lotte stopped.

There was... something here.

Something... vile.

She perceived it now, like a snake coiling to strike, deep into dark waters, an evil Will that had waited for her, laid its trap, and now Lotte felt the trap spring, the Will just curiously looking at her, like a small bird caught in the sight of a large, wild cat, cold and cruel and with a mind made of nails and spiked wheels, adept in pain and how to distill it. Nowhere to escape, nowhere to hide. It was as if the night had gobbled her up, and everywhere she looked, Lotte only saw more and more black.

The Will disregarded her, then. The pressure that had threatened to destroy her sizzled and left her alone, though it did not forget about her. Lotte saw the Will move towards Akko, curious, dance around her, prod and touch. Next to her, Diana shone with a cold azure light. But Akko was colorless, except for the faintest hint of a deep bright red, hidden in the recesses of her being. And the Will seemed intrigued by that light, and wanting to sniff it away like a thick smoke chokes a burning hearth.

Lotte jumped in alarm. _No!_ She thought, if thoughts even had meanings in this world of mirrors and spirits, and tried to reach for Akko. The Will laughed, and sent the tiniest tendril of its own against Lotte.

She felt like a wall, dark and oily and toothed, was closing onto her.

 **Who are you?** The Will demanded. Its voice was the gnawing of chains, the burning of trees, tears of pain and delirium. Lotte felt her mind shrivel in front of the voice, her consciousness _shrieked_ like ice put to the test of weight, and losing. **Little fool!** The Voice repeated. **What are you? An intruder. I followed your trail.** The voice laughed, and to Lotte it was like a rattling of bones. **Did the Grey one send you?** Lotte had no idea what the Will meant. She only wanted to get away, get away and tell Akko... tell Akko to... to... to run...

But amidst the darkness, a light came. It was azure and danced like the reflection of moon upon clear water. Diana was in its middle, her hand upon Akko's brown seemed to hold a star upon it, and she spoke in a cold clear voice.

_Whoever you are, spirit or mortal, begone!_

Lotte was strengthened by the light in Diana's voice. She felt the pressure on her ease.

_For you face the heir to the House of Cavendish!_

The Will left her alone. It coiled now around Diana.

_And by Word and Tide I shall cast you unto the Abyss!_

The light and power that Diana cast now flashed, like the last ray from a setting sun, and the Will seemed taken by surprise, and it recoiled like an animal stung by a flaming arrow.

The darkness lifted.

Akko wobbled on her horse. Diana, who seemed now diminished and shrivelled, held onto her.

The two of them disappeared from Lotte's sight. The Will had burnt her, and weariness was now quick to come.

Lotte looked one last time at the two travelers, making sure they were safe. Then she began to jump back home.

On the fourth jump, she fell into the void.

Lotte panicked. For the night was all around her, and the night had teeth, and a mocking laughter.

 **Who are you?** It asked again. **I did not give you permission to leave**. Lotte recoiled from the oily, cruel voice. But no matter where she went, she only ever saw darkness.

Lotte tried to repeat her song, but the Will laughed in mockery of her efforts, and her words were scattered like a tower of cards by a blast of cold wind.

And something was coming from the darkness. Something that sent her mind shrivel. **Who are you?** The pressure on her mind reached a paroxysm, and as the Will fully focused on her, as the Will caught her in its grasp, as the Will pressed its taloned fingers deep past her eyelids and into her eyes, bursting them into black, Lotte shrieked.

 

-

 

Alcor cawed, but Ursula had felt it before her friend.

She lifted her head from the pile of notes, and her mind rattled with panic.

He was here.

Where? Close. Searching.

Ursula jumped from the window. In another time, she might have been worried about who might see her, but He was here, and that meant every other thought fell into mere background. Ursula ran to the dormitories, paying little attention to the trail of students and Professors who parted in front of her. She had to run. He was close. Too close. Searching. Who gave Him a way in? What kind of blasted fool...?

Third floor in the dormitories. Ursula vaguely recognized the door as Akko's room, barged right inside, and saw Sucy, crying out onto a small, orange-haired Witch, as she gnawed and hissed and tossed on her bed, her body coiling unto herself.

She laughed, and it was not Lotte Yanson's laughter.

"Walk into the darkness, and the darkness will trod onto you, little fool!" She screamed.

Lotte's head turned to look at Ursula, and a cruel smile was upon her face. Her features distorted, as if seen through a veil. She looked upon Sucy, without seeing her.

"Do you understand? Say just this!"

Ursula jumped onto Lotte, pushing Sucy aside.

"Begone! _By the Seven Stars and the Seven Words_ , begone!"

For a moment, the room trembled. Ursula felt like she threw herself into a deep dark ocean, and the darkness was crawling all around her.

The Will let go of Lotte, for a moment. But it turned all its hooked power onto Ursula, and Ursula trembled. For from the darkness more and more rushed in, far more than it seemed to appear at first, as if a gathering of black rivers from the four corners of the world, attracted to Ursula's flame.

 **Grey one**.

The voice said. Mocking laughter came and threatened to cast Ursula into the void.

But from far-away a light, a white light appeared. A clear voice spoke.

"You who dwell in darkness, let them go!"

Ursula looked deep into the light, and the Will let go.

It frizzled and sneaked away, not before one last bout of laughter.

Then it was gone, the Will and the white light as well. Ursula vainly looked for it, for it was gone as well.

She bit her lip. This required further inquiry, but first...

Ursula blinked, and the world folded all around her.

She was once more Ursula Callistis, and she was in a room in the dormitories. Sucy was holding onto Lotte, and Ursula as well. The black was gone from Lotte's eyes, and her features were back to normalcy, those of a freckled, pale-skinned, gentle Witch.

"Say just this," Lotte whimpered. "Say just this."

"Lotte Yanson!" Ursula called her, making Lotte look into her eyes. "Look at me. Lotte Yanson!" She was aware of the power she was putting into her voice. At any other time, she would have kicked herself for being so careless in such a display. But not when a tendril of the Enemy had brushed so close, so tantalizing close to the young Witch, and had almost extinguished her.

Lotte's eyes closed unto Ursula. Cruelty and insanity appeared once more on her face.

"You..." she spoke. She laughed. " _Is this your hope! Such a feeble flame, and quick to die!_ " Lotte tossed and turned, a trail of spit coming from her mouth. "Say just this!" She laughed again, mocking and cold.

Ursula placed both fingers atop Lotte's damp forehead. She spoke one word.

"Lyonne."

The room trembled. For a moment, all was fire. A gentle, kind white fire, that seemed to hold onto things and take care of them. Lotte trembled, shrieked, and bit Ursula's hand.

Ursula did not recoil.

The white flame swelled all around Lotte. It caressed her, dissolving the knots of darkness that had been tied around her. Her eyes rolled back, and the shadow passed.

 Lotte Yanson blinked, and saw Professor Callistis holding her and gently caressing her head.

"P-Professor?" She said.

"Lotte!" Sucy called next to her. "Lotte! What happened?"

"I don't..." a look of panic settled upon her brow. "I don't remember. I don't want to! Don't make me go back there!"

But Ursula kept on looking at Lotte, and her gaze was gentle, if firm.

"It is gone now. What did you see? Lotte Yanson, what did you see?"

"Don't ask me. Don't make me go back. He was there. He was cruel. He had teeth."

"Lotte. What did you see? Speak!"

A great tiredness settled upon Lotte. She fell back on the bed, her features weary.

"He came. From the darkness. He bit me. He took my eyes."

"You are here, now. You are safe. What did you see?"

Lotte sighed. Sucy took her hand, while with the other she went looking for a bottle amidst her collection. She uncorked it. A scent of flowers and wheat filled the room. She put a few drops on Lotte's lips, and immediately her shoulders relaxed, her eyes focused.

"Sucy," she said. "Thank you."

Silence fell for a few minutes.

"I..." Lotte began to say, slow, as if she was remembering a long-lost dream. "I was worried about Akko. I went looking for her. Through the spirits."

Ursula sighed. Just the perfect trap for one so kind and open such as Lotte. And she had missed it! She had been worried, and focused on her own thoughts, and Akko's safety that she had disregarded her friends! What of the students? They knew nothing of the Enemy! Once more it all came back to her, to her mistakes, to her shortcomings.

But there would be time to slap herself in the face. If anything, Croix would do it for her.

"Go on."

"I travelled far. Farther than I had ever been. The spirits were not welcoming, but a few allowed me. I reached Akko. And Cavendish."

Ursula nodded.

"What happened then?"

All the color faded from Lotte's face. She was as white and pale as the sheet she rested on.

"Then He came. No! Don't make me say anything else! I don't want to! Please..."

"Lotte. _Lotte_." Ursula held her firm. "Speak."

"Professor..." Sucy tried to stop her, but Ursula brushed her aside.

"This is of the utmost importance, Mambavaran. Rest and wait. What did you see, Lotte? What did you _say_?"

"I... nothing. I said nothing. I could not. He was cruel. He mocked me. He put talons in my eyes. It hurt. I was falling. He told me things. Words cut unto me. I did not know which way was up, and which was down. All was darkness."

"You are here now, Lotte. What did he say?"

"He said... to tell the Grey one her hopes are in vain. The flame she tries to kindle will not be born again. The Nine walk once more. Ash are her efforts, and the Seven Stars and Seven Words are dead. I felt like I was falling into pieces! P-please."

"Lotte Yanson," Ursula said at last. "Look at me. Did you say anything else? Anything about Diana? About _Akko_?"

Slowly, Lotte shook her head. Tears fell on the bed.

And slowly, Ursula nodded.

She relaxed, and let go of Lotte.

"You are a fool, Lotte Yanson. But a brave fool, and a honest one. You wrestled against His will, and you did not break. You did good. Rest now, and rest content."

Ursula put her fingers atop Lotte's chest, and murmured an incantation. Lotte relaxed again, and all traces of despair seemed to leave her face. She adjusted the glasses on her face and looked at Sucy.

"Sucy. Can I have... more?"

Sucy grinned, relief in her single red eye.

"Of course," she said, putting a few more drops on Lotte's lips.

Ursula smiled at the two. The worst seemed to have passed.

But dire tidings were on the horizon. She could hesitate no more.

"Rest, Lotte. I will make sure for you to receive a warm meal and a break from classes, until you will have recovered."

"Professor? A word, please," Sucy asked. Steel was in her eyes.

"Soon, Mambavaran. I will speak to you both about what happened. And more. I believe it is your right to know. Restrain from the use of magic for a while, please. He might still be looking for you."

That was a half-lie, though.

He _would_ be looking for them.

And Lotte, He would not forget.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You might have noticed. I had to change the rating just due to this chapter. I feel like the imagery and tension and the sheer effects of Lotte's brush with the Enemy were more than enough for a change - and if not from this chapter, I would have had to change it for the next.  
> From now on, kids gloves are off. We're entering deep dark waters, and for Akko and Diana the first serious test is approaching. I really hope they will be up to the task.  
> For the darkness is growing, and who knows what's about to happen? As Ursula wisely said, the Enemy would not forget Lotte.
> 
> And maybe you should not forget to leave a comment as well!
> 
> Once more thank you for the love you're showering this fic with! Your support makes me want to publish more and more, but as I said I think this schedule is more or less perfect. Though... with any luck we will keep on meeting for this story even past November... thank you again and see you soon, on Saturday!  
> Saturday's update... is going to be hard one.


	7. VII - The best of intentions

Diana woke up with a start.

She was still under the beech tree. A couple leaves had fallen in her lap.

She was alone.

The horses still tied to a nearby tree. They smelled the air. They did not seem uneasy, yet were alert. Diana pursed her lips.

Something was not right.

Where was Ak-... where was Kagari?

She might have gotten lost in the woods! Once more, Kagari was the source of her worries. Yet another hour lost after Kagari and her useless antics! Did she upturn every stone to see if the Grey Witch lived beneath?

"Kagari!" Diana called, but there was no answer.

She spotted the branch Kagari had hit with her bow. The arrow was still there.

By the grace of Beatrix, that Witch would be the death of her!

She put the book aside and walked away from the tree, looking for Kagari. She must be deep in her daydreams, as usual! Or maybe... did she try to use magic?

Panic seized Diana's heart.

The Enemy! He would find them again!

"Kagari!" She cried. Oh, Powers, please...

"Shhh, Diana!" Came Kagari's voice.

Diana stopped. And did Kagari just call her by name?

Kagari was sitting next to a tree, her bow in her hand. With her other hand, she was looking for something beneath the leaves.

"Kagari? What are you doing?"

"Lower your voice." Kagari looked up and around. Diana had seldom seen her so focused. Save for when she popped a vein trying to lift her broom, Kagari most of the time was lost in her own little world of hopes and dreams. Not now. Kagari made her sign to get closer. Diana complied.

"You make as much noise on those leaves as an elephant," Kagari commented, and Diana frowned at the comment.

"Excuse me, o expert huntress! Am I too noisy for your fancy?"

"Nosy, _and_ noisy, your highness," Kagari said, with a hint of a smile. "Look here! I found this!" It was a tuft of grey-white hairs. Diana did not recognize it at first. "Wolves," Kagari explained. "They passed here yesternight, or the night before."

"You are a tracker, now? What other surprises do you hide, Kagari?"

Kagari blushed, faintly.

"I...I just went hunting with my father a couple times, that's all. He showed me. He would be able to tell how many, and how big..."

Kagari pocketed the hair and looked back at the horses.

"You left the horses unattended?"

"I went looking for you! I thought..."

"You though?" There was some odd sentiment in Kagari's eyes. Something Diana had never encountered before, and Kagari might not have as well. Diana looked away, as an excuse to put her gaze on the horses. They were still there.

"Nothing. I was just worried, that is all. This mission is dangerous, as you have seen already."

"I do. I think... I think we should go," Kagari said.

"Let us make haste."

They did not meet wolves as they untied the horses and got back on the road. Kagari seemed troubled by her discovery, though. More than the threat of wolves alone would justify.

"What is on your mind? You seem more troubled than usual."

"Yes, well... I found wolf hairs, but not their footprints."

Diana frowned. What did she mean?

"Wolf footprints are very particular. Once you see them, you don't forget them anymore. I found none."

"Then what? Did those wolves fly?"

"I don't know!" Kagari tossed her a vexed gaze. "I am not the expert here! _You_ are the Moonlight Witch or whatever!"

"I did not have a father to go hunting with, Kagari! Please keep your witty comments to yourself!"

"Well, sorry for being worried! I try to care about this journey with you! You are the same Cavendish as always!"

Kagari, piqued, pulled on the reins and launched her horse forward, away from Diana's gaze.

She shook her head and sighed. Kagari was _impossible_.

And it was true the recent events were having an effect on them. Diana looked around. She did not _feel_ the Enemy, but who knows what could be waiting for them in the woods?

They did not speak again for a whole day.

 

-

 

Akko was not happy about her earlier outburst. She was looking now at Diana, as they rode in silence in the strangely silent, waiting woods. Her hood covered her blonde head and her features, but Akko knew she was not happy. Akko bit her lip.

She was supposed to be a lot better at this! She was supposed to be _good_ with people, even when it was with difficult people like Diana Cavendish, even when she had all sort of diverse, confused and ambivalent feelings at once and they all attacked her like colored threads and she had to unknot them before she could start to see what she was truly feeling and why.

But she was supposed to be good with people. It was one of the things that made Akko proud of herself. She had connected with Lotte and Sucy and Amanda and the others ever since her first year, and now she could say she knew them as well as she knew her family. Why was she having so much _hardship_ speaking now to Diana?

Words seemed to have small barbed hooks all over their surface, and get stuck inside he throat. It was not pleasant; it was not something Akko was used to.

 And Diana had said something else, had she not?

 _I did not have a father to go hunting with, Kagari_!

Akko's grip on the reins tightened.

She had no idea.

She did not know what to say. Was she even supposed to say anything? It was not her family.

It was not her business, really.

But she hated to see Diana so silent, ignoring her, trying to focus only on the mission.

Sure, they had met that enemy guy and he even had tried to scare her into doing... something, but Diana had cast him away! And they would come to Westerndale in a matter of days!

Not for the first time, Akko opened her mouth, only to close it a moment later.

Diana was a shadow walking together with her, and Akko had no idea what to do, what to say, to make it all better.

Not being able to do something was the worst feeling in the world. She hated failing, and she hated being called a failure, but most of all she hated smashing against that glass wall, the threshold between what she _could do_ and what she _could not_.

She hated it.

Akko opened her mouth.

She closed it again.

Who knows how Lotte and Sucy must be faring, back in Luna Nova? That merchant must have reached them by now. Akko managed to smile a little at the thought: Lotte and Sucy having fun with their daily activities, Lotte singing to the spirits, Sucy preparing some strange boiling concoction. Professor Ursula being her gentle self.

At least when she - when _they_ \- would come home they'd go back to their old life.

At least Sucy and Lotte were safe.

So, the only thing Akko could do, in the end, was to focus even more on trying to see if she could find any trace of wolves. Once she would, Diana would come around. They would make up. And they would find a path at safe distance from wolf teeth, and they would reach Westerndale in time.

She only had to push herself a little more.

 

-

 

By the second night, they still had found not a trace of wolves. Kagari did not seem persuaded, though. She kept on asking for breaks, and she went into the woods, looking for who knows what. She always came back empty-handed, though.

Was she trying to impress her? To make Diana praise her?

But why would she?

All things considered, Kagari was getting more and more stressed. Deep bags had appeared under her face. She whispered words in her strange language under her breath, and always was jumpy.

"Please rest, Kagari," Diana had warned her. "You are going to snap soon, and when it will happen..."

"I don't _need_ rest," Kagari answered. Diana could excuse some of that attitude on the memory and effect of a brush with the Enemy. But Kagari had a particular skill to get on her nerves.

"Maybe they jumped from root to root, from stone to stone," Kagari muttered. "But wolves are not that smart."

Yet the Enemy, Diana thought, was. Maybe Kagari was onto something.

Still, why could she not just _listen_ , for once? She was always so mulish, never heeding her advice, nor her concern. Did she care so little about her? Was this mission just a way for her to show off?

She had even forgotten her diary somewhere the day before. No way for her to go back and retrieve it, now.

So thinking, they both went to rest. But Diana heard Kagari turn and whisper in her sleep, and often take a few quick steps into the woods, and back. It was true Kagari made little sound on the leaves - what did that say about herself, then? Was she... heavy? Ungraceful? - but she still irked her and Diana could not sleep.

Thus it was that night neither of them managed to get any rest.

Diana only jumped from brief stop to brief stop. The hours seemed to grind into a halt, and the stars above them feverishly burn in mockery of their restlessness.

Then Kagari shot up, the wide arch of her bow crossing her figure. She cocked an arrow.

"Kagari! Powers above," Diana growled. "Go to sleep, for the love of-"

" _Shhh_ ," Kagari hissed, looking into the woods for something only she could see.

Slowly, she put the bow away.

"Satisfied?" Diana mocked. "Now please allow me some rest."

Kagari turned her head towards her.

"I did hear something," she began in a whisper, but her voice, stressed by lack of sleep, was becoming stronger. "I did hear something, I tell you!"

"You think this is one big game, do you not?" Diana retorted. She did not want to put so much venom in her voice, but it did come out as spiteful as she could. "Just a way to show off. You try your best to, in magic, and with a bow. Show off your body and you skills as much as you like, Kagari, but do it when I don't try to sleep. Good night!" Diana turned and hoped that would settle things.

"Hey! Would you stop that? I asked you to stop that! Hey! Cavendish!"

Kagari punched her in the shoulder. The nerve!

"I'm talking to you! I'm trying to help us both!"

"Then help us by not helping, Kagari!" Diana shot up, pushing her finger against Kagari's chest. Lack of sleep, and fear and bitterness clouded her judgement, but above all, she was tired. Tired of Kagari's shrill voice, tired of the carelessness way she displayed herself and her prowess, and tired of the way she always wanted people to praise her.

Kagari shook her head. The moon glistened at the edge of her eyes.

"Why are you so _mean_ to me? What did I do to..."

"You are _here_ , Kagari! Get lost, so that I can get some sleep!"

Diana did not really mean that. She prided herself on her ability to keep a clear mind in the direst situation, to put reason before emotion at every step.

But Kagari seemed made to unravel her, to show the pulsing heart beneath, and in seeing her shrieking loudly, in the night, so... so... careless, chasing phantoms, just to _show off_...

 Kagari stood up. She seemed a large shadow to block out the stars. Only the faintest hints of her shape could be seen in the moonless night. But Diana saw her ball her fists.

"Is... is this what..." Kagari lost her patience. "I had it with you! I hate you, Cavendish! I _hate_ you! _I hate you!_ "

From the hills came the echoes of Kagari's shrill voice.

She had yelled, in the night.

And from the night, something answered.

Just a faint noise, at first. Quickly growing.

Howls, howls, howls.

And the rumbling of quick, merciless steps, abandoning all stealth to fly on the wings of mad hunger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ouch. Looks like Akko and Diana are in a real pickle now! This scene was particularly hard to write, in an emotional sense. All this drama! Who knows how they will escape the wolves, now? Will they use magic, and risk facing the blind panic that comes from attracting the Enemy's gaze? Or will they find another way?
> 
> Your answer awaits for you on Monday. In the meantime, as they say on Facebook: 1 comment = 1 prayer.  
> Thank you again for following this story up to this moment. Things are going to get a little better, and soon. Next chapter is still dramatic, but there's going to be that delicious drop of sweetness that can only come from hardship.


	8. VIII - Holding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If Diana had come alone, this would have been the end of her journey. But Akko is there.

Panic rose to Diana's neck, choking it with its invisible fingers.

She tried to push it down, but it was like drowning into deep black waters.

What could they do? What if the horses were not swift enough? She could try to use magic and scare the wolves away. The Enemy must already know their position if He had sent His hounds.

But it would only draw worse things. The Enemy had more dangerous servants than wolves and _Yrchs_.

Her hands trembled.

In the end, she was saved by the look in Kagari's eyes. Kagari was looking at her, scared as much as she was, asking her to take charge.

"Take your horse," Diana commanded. And for a moment, she felt marginally better. Kagari collected her bearings, and jumped on her brown horse, black in the night. Now that the wolves were approaching, both horses scampered and whinnied in fear. Diana shook her head, hoping the horses would be faster than the wolves. A dark cloud seemed to press against her head, and the pounding of fear in her chest did not help. The night seemed dark and cold and as ravenous as the wolves, waiting for her to take one wrong step and devour her.

Diana shook her head, gathered her own things, and was on the horse as well. She pointed it on the road, but Kagari, true to herself, rode into the forest.

"Follow me, Diana!" She cried.

Diana groaned. Why did Kagari _never_ listen?! But she did follow her into the woods.

And behind them, the echoes of howls.

The horses galloped in the dark. Branches hit Diana, scratched her face and arms. In front of her, in the little light that could be seen, Kagari stood up. She put her bow against her shoulder, cocked an arrow, and it wheezed into the night. From afar, a dull _thock_ , a wail, and a noise of something large and heavy hitting a tree.

From the darkness many hungry throats answered. Howls, howls, howls.

"Powers. Beatrix most kind," Diana muttered under her breath. And they did not even see where they were going! The horses were in a blind panic, each following and leading the other. She had to think. She was usually good at _thinking_.

But every time she tried to tie her line of thought around something, her heart beat faster and those cold talons of panic came back to seize her throat. Diana panted and shook her head. She had to stay focused. She had to...

But the wolves were approaching. And even if they escaped the wolves... the Nine would come. She just knew it. The Nine would find them.

"Yi-Yo, Yi-Yo!" Kagari cried again, her bow sang another three times, and twice the wail repeated itself.

They were getting lost, though. Who knows where the road was? Were they going west? Or east?

And then Kagari sat down onto her saddle, and held up something else.

Diana let out a silent cry as she saw Kagari lit her wand. A warm golden light shot into Diana's eyes. For some reason it did not sting, but it shone true, reflected in the dozens of hollow, white eyes following them. They were surrounded by huge wolves. Black, they were, and gaunt. Hollow they seemed, and yet filled with hunger and madness. Hounds full of the Will of the Enemy. Their teeth bared, like knives glistening with saliva.

"Cover your eyes!" Kagari shot, too soon for Diana to do as she said, to oppose her, to do anything at all. "Murowa!"

The light exploded in a flash, and there was a sound like a thunder, and screams, some of which Diana did not understand came from her own throat.

Her horse pranced, scared more by the sudden light and sound of Kagari's botched spell. It sent her flying. Diana hit the ground, hard. The steel box bit into her side, and she rolled over leaves and dirt, and hit a tree.

The wolves scattered, but Diana could not see them.

She reached for her own wand, and finding it gave her some sort of confidence.

Her mind seemed to clear for a moment. For some reason, in all the blind panic, the idea of using magic now stood out clear, like a burning coal.

At least one of them would use magic the proper way!

_No._

Diana shook her head. No magic.

Not now. She did not know what to do. The night was all around her. Choking her and keeping her in its thrall.

"Ai ai ai," she heard Kagari wail nearby. The wolves had stopped and recoiled from them, but she knew it was just for a moment, before the Will took over their instincts once more.

"What did you do, Kagari? What did you _do_?" Her own voice sounded grating in her throat.

"Murowa!" Was the only answer. A flash of light fizzled and cut the night in two. Diana only had a brief image of Kagari, still sitting atop her horse, yelling at something into the night. Then black came back, and came darker than ever. Diana could only smell her own fear, and feel the cold night encroaching them all.

But in the distance she had seen an old tower. Maybe one the men of Westerndale used to guard in a past time, or a simple lookout tower into the forest.

At any rate, it was the first gift from luck she had received ever since meeting Kagari on that baleful morning!

"There's a tower to the east!" Diana cried out in the night.

Her horse whinnied in panic and fear. It seemed to hit something, and growls followed its terrified steps.

"Come back! No!" Diana tried, but something hit the horse far in the darkness, and the poor animal let out a bubbling wail, one full of fear, and then another, screeching in pain, and from the dark came the sound of teeth and the wet rending of flesh.

Then silence.

Diana smelled iron.

And darkness fell upon her shoulders, and she fell on the ground, desperation and fear running through her fears like a cold poison. She held an impotent hand out into the darkness.

Something took her by her collar, and she was standing once more. Kagari was holding her up.

"Ride! Ride with me!"

Out of shock and pain, Diana found herself jumping on the horse, just as the hideous echoes of wolves came ever nearer. Howls, howls, howls.

And the singing of Kagari's bow, as shot after shot was lost in the darkness.

Diana blinked. The phantom lights from the double spells was starting to fade. Shapes and forms began to come back. A tall one stood, like a finger to hide the moon and stars.

"There! There, Kagari! Faster! Please, go faster!"

"I am trying!" Kagari took out her bow and yelled something in her language, shaking the reins. The horse sprang towards the tower.

She could not see, though she still held her wand.

"Open, by Beatrix's grace, open!" Diana cried out in the night. Her wand flashed green for a moment. A few steps away from her, they heard a lock unhook by itself.

"Were we supposed _not_ to use spells?!"

The nerve! She was justified.

"This is all your fault in the first place, Kagari! Ride!"

Diana's eyes did not see the tower, but they reached it when Kagari pushed the horse directly past the door, without waiting for them to get down from the horse. A mistake.

She could have told Kagari to wait. Why had she not?

Why did she keep on making mistake after mistake?

The horse hit the door, and behind the door were ruined steps. The horse's hoof slipped on a broken stone, the horse whinnied as it hit the wall, Diana and Kagari both fell against the stones.

Behind them the wolves were hot on pursue. Their howls were near and their hungry breaths spoke of pain. The horse, mad with fear, rose and tried to escape. Diana only saw a confused mess of limbs, and heavy bodies. The light came back as Kagari lit the tip of her wand. Enough to show the five, no, six... seven wolves all waiting for them past the entrance.

Diana recoiled with a wail, drawing her wand.

Kagari let go two arrows. They ran true and hit the first two wolves, but before she could hook a third one a huge wolf, black and ravenous, jumped inside. The light reflected on its teeth and white eyes. It hit the horse with its paw, and with the other began to draw it closer.

"Let it go!" Cried out Diana just as the wolf's eyes, burning suddenly like coal, seized on her. It let go of the horse, opened its giant maw of a mouth, the fangs shining like swords, and jumped at Diana.

It was hit by an arrow behind the ear, and another in the shoulder, and another in the middle of its eyes. The light disappeared from them and it fell against the horse.

Diana turned to look at Akko. Her fingers were bleeding, black in the strange light from her trembling wand, cut from all the strength she had infused into her arrows.

"A-Akko, you..."

Her relief was short-lived.

There was no more time for words as two more wolves entered. The horse, mad with fear, scampered against the wall. Diana panicked.

She was not supposed to panic, but between her lack of sleep, and... and everything around her, her fear rose to choke her judgement. Her thoughts felt oily, slippery. Reason was beyond her. It seemed to her a cruel laughter echoed in the air as she lifted her wand and pointed it at the entrance.

Instinct took over. Diana was drowning and the blackness of night was rushing in, covering her eyes, choking her throat.

No! No!

Her magic rushed in, beckoned by panic, and the promise of pain.

"No!" She heard a voice, calling from afar.

" _Murowa!_ " Diana cried out, and the spell left her hand.

Diana Cavendish was no Atsuko Kagari. Her spell unleashed a green flash, a rumble like a thunder running in the clouds, and the door, the strong stones put there by the men of Westerndale, were blasted away by the strength of her spell.

The explosion burst against the wolves, but it did worse than intended. The wolves howled, the old stones of the arch trembled under the power of her spell, trembled and fell, covering the entrance, the wolf and the horse. It gave one last pained whinny and disappeared, together with most of their supplies, and their only defense against the rest of the pack, who though scattered again by the explosion, now had free access to them both.

Diana heard something for a moment, maybe the echoes of that cruel laughter from before.

Diana shook her head.

What had she done?

She... she...

Diana looked at her hand, still grasping onto her wand. A veil of smoke came from the three-pronged tip, where the spell had been unleashed.

No sound came from under the stone.

The wolves stood frozen in a stunned moment of fear, before the Will moving their sinews rose stronger than their instinct, and once more they encroached the now half-broken tower.

"What..." Diana wailed in the night, waking up as if from a nightmare, right into a worse one. "What have I done?"

"Upstairs," Akko commanded, pointing at the upper level. "Upstairs! Go! Go!"

Diana looked at Akko. Her bow had been hit, and now laid broken in her still-bleeding hand. She scuttled forward and Diana followed, keeping her wand aimed at the wolves.

What had she done? She had lost her mind. She blinked away tears. The horse.

She had...

Anger, and bruised pride, and sorrow, rose in her chest as she held out her wand against the wolves, now trying to reach them upstairs.

"There's a door! Come on, Diana!"

Akko took her by the hand, they turned a corner, and entered a black, dusty room. Kagari pushed her to the back of the room, shut down the door, blocking it with a wooden beam.

Howls came from outside.

There was just a tall, thin window there, an aperture from which whistled a cold wind.

Diana blinked again in the darkness and held her hands against her chest.

"Diana! A little help here?"

Kagari pushed her back against the door.

Scratching and sniffing could be heard from outside.

Then silence.

And then, just as Diana went to her side to hold the door back, a huge body hurled itself against the door.

Diana let out a cry as breath was pushed out of her. Kagari gritted her teeth and cursed in her odd language.

"Powers," Diana said once again. "Kindest Beatrix."

"A little less praying and a little more pushing!" Kagari beckoned her.

Unlike before, her voice was not grating to Diana's ears. She knew what Kagari, what _Akko_ was trying to do.

The moment when those three arrows went past her and hit the huge black wolf replayed itself in her head as she tried, with all the little strength she could muster to hold the door.

Akko had saved her life.

She had used magic first, for sure.

But Diana had been no better.

She _had wanted_ to use magic. Out of fear, and desperation, out of the pressure the Enemy put on the minds under duress. Just like Kagari had experienced two days before.

And she had broken under the strain in a matter of minutes.

"Come on! Diana, push! Push!"

Akko's words called her back to her current goal.

Diana licked her lips and pushed back.

The door was hit a second time. Diana breathed dust and her own sweat.

"Leave us alone! Leave us alone and go bite your own tail somewhere else!" Akko shouted to the wolves, still holding onto her wand and her ruined bow.

"Powers," Diana whispered, as she tried to push the door back as hard as she could. "Give me the strength," she asked.

"Yeah, just remember to also push back!" Akko replied.

An idea came up to her, unbidden, suggested as if from a whisper in the wind.

A holding-spell might help.

The door could still be opened by force, but a holding-spell would allow them to... to rest. To escape?

It was such a simple solution, and so comforting a thought.

Rest was good.

And it would not require much magic.

And she had already used a spell, and Kagari had used three, so...

Beneath her fear, that reasoning pulsed with an ill light.

She made a mistake, but now it made sense! It was their only option.

It made sense. It made sense to use a holding-spell, now.

It was so logical.

And comforting.

And it was the-

Diana's hand reached for her wand.

And was blocked by Kagari's grasp.

"Stop!" Kagari's voice sounded once more unwelcome, grating, the voice of a rival, of a bitter enemy. Diana's weariness, her lack of sleep, come back to bit her, rousing from the dephts of her heart like a biting viper.

"Don't tell me wh-"

"Diana... s-stop!" Kagari pleaded. Diana blinked, and the world froze. "I'm tired. I'm sorry. I can't see you in this state. What's come over you?" Breaths came to break the silence just as the wolves outside seemed to recoil, about to strike a third time. "Please stop. N-no more magic. I'm sorry. Don't hurt yourself. Just hold the door. Hold the door with me."

Diana shook her head. Kagari's voice seemed to strike right through the veils of fear she had been covered with, a warm, white flame to push back the oily blackness that had been hurting her so much.

It was a comforting light, su much unlike the painful idea that had seemed so logical under the pulsating light of panic.

And her arrows had just saved her life.

She could just hold the door.

Just hold the door.

Diana nodded.

Diana nodded, and the fear that had her heart in a grip seemed to dissipate. Leaving her once again with a clearer head, and this time for good. The sorrow in her heart strengthened, but it was sorrow of her own. No other voice, no other Will now tried to steer her towards ruin. Whatever strength it might have had over her heart, it had been banished by Akko's words.

Diana nodded, and pushed against the door with all her strength, her left hand still holding onto Kagari's right.

The third hit sent them both flying.

Diana lost her footing, fell against the floor. Akko was there, next to her.

But the door held.

Diana helped Akko stand again, and together they pushed against the door.

"Go _away_!" Akko cried out in the blackness. Diana was right there next to her. Her wand had slipped her grasp somewhere in the fall, but it did not matter.

All that it mattered was just holding the door. Akko's blind faith seemed to warm her was well, like standing next to a white flame.

"By Beatrix the Kind and righteous Jennifer, and Lady Woodward the Fair," Diana whispered as she pushed against the door. These names seemed to have no effect on the wolves, but then she felt something else dawn upon her lips. Her voice rang strong and clear. " _By the Seven Stars_! Leave us alone, and run back to your fell Master! _Go back_!"

The wolves howled at the words Diana had whispered, as if they had been thin lines of white fire, biting deep into them, deeper than arrows and stone.

They bit and scratched at the door.

And then they hit it one fourth time.

Akko and Diana cried out against it, still pushing against the door.

They spoke no more.

The door held.

Silence settled in.

Slow, Diana and Akko breathed in the darkness. Their hands were entwined still. Diana breathed fresh air, for the first time. The spell was broken.

"I'm sorry," Diana blurted. Like a reflex, a barbed stone she had kept in her throat for too long. "I'm sorry."

Without knowing why she was doing, or even how, Diana fell on her side, against Akko, Diana embraced her, Diana her face against her shoulder. She was trembling. At any other moment Diana would have been appalled at showing herself in such a state, but for some reason it did not matter anymore. She just wanted to feel Akko next to her, to feel something beyond the slithering fear that had exploded in her heart. She had believed she was stronger than this. And at her first serious encounter with the Enemy, she had failed.

Were it not for Akko...

"I'm sorry," Diana choked. "I'm sorry, Akko. I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Akko replied. "You are here with me now. We are together. Together we will be fine."

Diana nodded. There would come a time for apologies, but for now she only wanted to be held, to feel Akko next to her. After the storm.

The night stretched all around them, and they did not move, fearing an assault.

They did not move, holding each other.

At times, Diana would whisper one more _I'm sorry_.

And Akko would answer with one more _it's fine_.

They lay there for many long hours, breathing softly in the dark, saying nothing else, just taking what little comfort they could from the fact they were still there, and still alive, and still together.

When the dawn came, it cast a single blade of light in the semi-circular room, showing old, crumbling furniture, and two sleeping girls, their arms entwined.

The door had held.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so it ends another chapter! I have a hunch after this Diana will stop referring to Akko by her surname... what do you think? *hint-hint, nudge-nudge*  
> As it was cleverly predicted in a comment, yes, Diana owes some apologies to Akko. She knows as much, and they are coming. Soon. Also we're approaching that bathing scene. It's getting closer, do not despair, for despair is the weapon of the Enemy.
> 
> Before saying goodbye, I want to once more thank you all for your support. I read and cherish all your feedback, even -especially - the critical comments, as they help me refine my craft. Thank you for being here. You guys are really the best. If you'd wish to leave a comment on this chapter, I would be honoured.  
> I'd love to know what you think, as this was a pivotal point in Akko and Diana's tale.
> 
> Next time, tea, chocolate and the second coming of Darkness.


	9. IX - Chocolate, sweets and the second coming of the Darkness

Lotte Yanson lay in her bed, warmth provided by the many candles surrounding her, the now-empty tea mug she held in her hands, and the blanket Sucy had put on her shoulders.

If she squinted hard enough, she could see the sliver of worried care in her friend’s face. Sucy was often one to cover her emotion with a thick layer of bored apathy, but the accident of the last week had let her shaken enough.

As had left half the academy, really. Her... outburst had been loud enough to draw attention from many a Witch, and while she lay in bed recovering, the rumor mill had only grew.

Among all the people who could have heard her, there had been, she found out, Hannah and Barbara. And now, those two were together with her in her room, as was Amanda, sitting next to the window, and Jasminka, playing with the baked sweets she had brought with her. She had been putting them in a line, then set them in groups according to color, and was now busy making a smiling face with them.

Lotte felt her shoulders relax at the sight.

Too bad Akko was not there. She would have been able to devise a way to make everyone feel better. Go on some mad project of her own invention, to make all hearts sing as one. Lotte looked down at her distorted reflection in the cup. Who knows where Akko was right now. Who knows how she was faring together with Cavendish. Were they safe from the lurking danger in the road?

A shadow squirmed in Lotte’s mind, like a long wyrm, scaly and ferocious, flexing in a corner of its horrible lair. It had been seven days since… her brush with that entity. Now it seemed like a long-lost nightmare, one she could barely recall. Just as Professor Ursula had said, the terror would fade.

But it had not disappeared outright.

A knock on the door. Six faces turned to look at it.

“May I come in,” came the voice of Professor Ursula from the other side.

Lotte shared a look with Sucy’s only visible eye. She nodded curtly.

“It’s open,” Sucy said.

The door opened to reveal Professor Ursula, clad in her usual robes, her gaze hidden by her glasses. She brought with her a tray of sweet bread and hot chocolate mugs. A sheepish smile danced on her lips.

“Ah, I see you are all gathered here together, good, good.”

Lotte’s eyes dashed to her left hand. Bandaged no more, but she could still see the faint marks were her own teeth had bitten the Professor’s hand. What had gotten into her?

The Professor took the one free chair, smiling at all of them, and sat in the middle of the room, the tray upon her legs.

Lotte saw the reactions. Amanda only greeted her with an uninterested scoff, Jasminka re-arranged her sweets in a line, Hannah and Barbara held their hands together, as if bracing themselves for some kind of assault. As for Sucy, she said nothing, looking at the Professor with her unerring gaze.

“I brought hot chocolate for everyone,” she said, lifting the tray. “Lotte, if you want to be the first…?”

Lotte saw the gentle, shy look in the Professor’s eyes. She had nothing of the Ursula who had broken into her room, and banished the shadow that was biting into her. The usual, kind, slightly socially-impaired Professor was back.

In a way, it was reassuring. Lotte took the mug in her hands. It smelled spicy and sweet.

“Thank you.”

“Sucy? I have a special one for you, in the green mug, here.”

Sucy sniffed the chocolate. A hint of a grin appeared on her face.

“Ah, belladonna!” She took the mug, but her eye did not leave the Professor’s face. “I still expect you to explain.” She took a sip, and her pupil grew wide with pleasure and the effect of the venom inside the chocolate. Sucy let out a small groan of pleasure.

“I will explain in a moment. If you want to take your mugs… the rest have no additives in them, I am afraid.”

The tray passed hands. Amanda made a show of taking her mug with a particularly swift and violent gesture, and went to look back outside the window.

The room filled with silence and the pleasant scent of chocolate.

Lotte was the first to break the silence, surprising even herself.

“So, uhm… where’s Akko?”

A flash passed behind Ursula’s glasses.

“Always putting the safety of others before your own, Lotte Yanson,” she mused. Her voice was kind. “It is a precious heart the one you have.” Her smile faded. “I don’t know the precise whereabouts of Akko. Nor do I know about Miss Cavendish. Though I am not that worried about them. I am sure they are taking care of each other just fine.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Sucy said, finishing her mug in one go, “the blondie is fine, that’s great. Not worried about miss magical prodigy. And I do agree Akko’s head is too hard to be broken by anything. But you came here for another reason, did you not, Professor?”

Were it anybody else other than Sucy and Professor Ursula, that kind of phrasing would have guaranteed Sucy a week of cleaning duty in the stables.

But the Professor nodded.

Lucy licked her lips in apprehension. She would have liked to disappear, maybe just close her eyes, she would wake up at another time and place, Akko would be there with them, she would be reading a book, and there would be nothing to harm them…

“One week ago,” Ursula began, “our friend Lotte Yanson did something both brave and foolish. And, as she’s to be commended for her bravery, the foolishness is not completely her fault.”

Lotte’s grip on the mug strengthened.

Sucy put a hand on her shoulder.

“I will assume you are all familiar with Miss Yanson’s ability to speak with spirits.” Amanda and Jasminka nodded.

Hannah and Barbera exchanged a look.

“It is a rare ability, and one that can easily bring ruin to its user. Miss Yanson has always showed nothing but extreme prowess and caution in the use of this ability.”

Lotte felt warmth against her cheeks, and it wasn’t the chocolate.

“Miss Yanson used her special magic to try and reach Akko. Am I correct?”

Lotte hesitated. Nodded.

“I just wanted to see if I could find her! Speak with her a little. Reassure her we missed her – even Sucy!”

“Did you see Diana?” Hannah inquired. “Yes, what about Diana?” Barbara added.

“I saw her,” Lotte said. “She was… odd.”

“What do you mean?” The two asked at the same time.

“Patience!” Ursula lifted a hand. “Everything will be said, but not at once. Now, Miss Yanson’s gesture, while sweet and made under the best of intentions, attracted… unwanted attention.”

Lotte frowned. Her lips a line. The mug trembled in her hand, her reflection in the chocolate darkened, twisted.

“I don’t want to go back there,” she whispered. Her vision swam for a moment. “Don’t let me go there.”

Ursula took her hands in her own. They were warm, and strong, and soft. The darkness was chased away like a cloud by a strong wind.

“You are here, Lotte Yanson, in the company of your friends. You are safe now.”

Lotte felt like Professor Ursula meant ‘for now’, but she did feel better with those hands over her own. The Professor held her as she recounted… her encounter.

“Lotte offered an opening, unwittingly, for she had no reason to believe anything like that could happen, to an evil Will.”

Amanda whipped her head away from the window, looking directly at Lotte and Ursula.

“The Will tried to use her as a conduit. It had Its fun in tormenting her with evil words. Miss Yanson was put to a test none had to suffer in hundreds of years, and she withstood it. The Will passed, Its grip on her was banished. No matter what could have had happened, she managed to wrestle her mind away from the snare. And she is with us today, unsoiled.”

“Is that what’s in the wind?” Amanda asked, folding her arms. “This Will?”

Ursula regarded with a curious look, beckoning her to continue.

“I feel it when I fly. There’s some kind of… I don’t know. A fell wind. It comes in, at times. It’s cold, and sharp, it throws me off course.” A smirk. “Or at least it tries.”

“There’s an abundance of poisonous mushroom this year,” Sucy interjected. “Fine by me, but those that come out seem… emboldened, in a way. I have rarely seen them as abundant and thick.”

“Everything you notice,” Ursula said, “shares a common source.” A pause. “Ah, Miss Cavendish is not here, pity. Are any of you familiar with the history of old magic?”

Slowly, Jasminka lifted her hand. Five pair of surprised eyes looked at her.

“What? I do study.” She ate a pair of sweets, most likely to shake off nervousness.

“Very well, Miss Antonenko. Care to enlighten your friends about the age of old magic? Before the Nine Olden Witches?”

Lotte saw a frown dance on Jasminka’s face.

“There was a conflict. Of some sort. Sources are not clear… Witches risked extinction. Finneran only gave us a broad outline.”

“That’s just old hearsay,” Amanda interjected. “Legends and folklore. Come on. Something like that can’t happen again!” When only silence answered her boast, she blinked and crossed her arms even tighter. “It can’t.”

“I am afraid it did happen, Miss O’Neill,” Ursula said in her soft voice. “It did happen, and it is now at risk of happening again. This evil Will that found Lotte is the nameless Enemy.” Another pause. “He is coming back.”

The news were met with a mixture of skepticism and vague worry.

“You are all too young to remember, as are your parents, and the parent of your parents, and so on.”

“Grandfather did use to tell...” Hannah interjected, “… tell scary stories about a time before the Nine Witches, when the moon was dead and the sun veiled, when the darkness walked the land. But those were stories. Just stories.”

“If it is not so,” Sucy asked, “and this Enemy is returning, why do we come to know about it when Lotte… when that happened?”

Professor Ursula sighed.

“Our desire to protect you, I am afraid. You have to understand, Miss Manbavaran, long we thought the land cleansed, and the Enemy banished forever. And when the first signs came, we believed Luna Nova to be a safe bastion for you all. The least you knew, the longer it would take the Enemy to notice your presence.”

“What do you mean notice our presence?” Barbara asked with a shrill voice. “Is He coming here?” She looked around, as if to expect some horrible monster jumping from the window.

“No, Miss England, no. He is not coming here, and if I have any say in the matter at all, He never will.” A pause. “This does not mean you can lull yourself in false safety. The Enemy is attracted to magic like a moth to a clear flame. Miss Yanson was, to Him, the equivalent of a bonfire. Too bright not to attract His attention, even as preoccupied with other thoughts as He is.”

“Preoccupied?” Sucy asked.

“Yes, preoccupied. He is not strong enough to throw secrecy away and reveal Himself! Other things may hinder him still. He’s still lurking in the dark corners of the world. He uses others as His weapons, and chief among them terrible fear. Do not despair. If you do not provoke Him, He will regard all of you no more than worms in the mud.”

“Nice,” Amanda quipped.

“You should be grateful He’s not thinking about you, Miss O’Neill. You have all seen what kind of attention He provides.”

“Is that...” Hannah perked up, “… is this the reason why you sent Diana on that journey? To kill this Enemy?”

“Ah, no. I am afraid, even holding Miss Cavendish’s abilities in as high a regard as I do, she will not be able to face the Enemy on her own.” Ursula laughed. “Ah, if all problems could be solved by throwing Miss Cavendish at them!”

“So… that’s the reason you also sent Akko, isn’t it?” Sucy pointed a finger at the Professor.

“Akko has an important role to play. A very important one, in fact. For now, she and Miss Cavendish have been charged with bringing a certain item to the White Witch, in the south.”

Amanda perked up at that. She looked as if she wanted to ask a question.

Then she came back into silence, and said nothing. Jasminka ate four more sweets.

"So... when are we going to see Akko again?" Lotte asked.

"Not that soon, I am afraid. "Ursula smiled, though. "But do not be too worried! Miss Cavendish is quite the capable Witch, and Akko has... large untapped potential. And they might find some help on the road they do not suspect."

"And in the meantime? Stay put? Do nothing?" Amanda gritted her teeth as she looked outside the window. "If this Enemy guy is out there, I say: let's all fly out and punch him in the face!"

Lotte shivered at the idea. Amanda had not... seen what she passed through, not really.

Ursula smiled even wider. It was a kind smile.

"O'Neill, your courage is commendable, but we would have little use for it. Valour needs strength first. And the strength of all Witches has greatly diminished ever since our first confrontation with the Enemy. But so has He! And don't forget Akko and Diana's mission. Something tells me they are in this together for a reason."

"They are in this together because you sent them," Sucy deadpanned. "And you replied without a real answer, Professor. What should we do? Wait here in the protection of Luna Nova while Akko is out there fighting monsters? Alone with Cavendish?"

Lotte looked at Sucy, as if she was seeing her for the first time. A searing aura of anger seemed to wreathe her, and go before her. Her single red eye shone like a lonesome star.

Ursula replied with another smile. Behind her glasses, Lotte got another glimpse of the intense gaze that had helped her escape the Enemy's grasp.

"You are worried for your friends."

Sucy jumped. She blinked for a moment, showed her pointy teeth, shut her mouth again.

"You should be proud of the love you carry in your heart, Sucy Mambavaran. As for the rest of you, do not despair! The shadow passed close, but it is now gone. I called you here to reveal the truth to you all, so that you may be prepared in the future. I do not expect you to fight the Enemy on your own, no more than I expect you to empty the sea with a tea spoon. You are not prepared. But you know the truth."

"W-what about Diana then?" Hannah raised her voice to an almost-cry. "She's stuck out there with that walking disaster! What's she gonna do?"

"I would not worry about Cavendish. Many of you don't know half the gifts she possesses. Other she may find along the road. No, don't worry about Cavendish! And don't worry about Akko! Worry about yourselves! You are still in relative security between these walls, but now that you know the Enemy, you should think long and hard about what you are going to do. Throwing yourself into the fray would be as useless as cravenly waiting for the towers to crumble and the gates to crash. Where will your path err? This is going to be your test."

"Still saying nothing," Sucy muttered. Lucy touched her elbow, lightly.

"But you are g-going to be with us, Professor, are you not?" Barbara tried a smile.

"I will stay here as long as I can," Ursula replied. Lotte bit her lip. "Other tidings may need my attention, and as you have seen, I am the youngest member of the faculty here. The dirty work falls upon my shoulders!" Ursula scratched the back of her neck, sheepishly, and for a moment, she looked like their old Professor, shy, unerringly doubtful, non-descriptive and forgettable.

But Lotte had seen too much to forget. She looked back at Ursula. Something inside her stirred. She had hoped for answers, and only got more questions. She had hoped for an easy way out, someone to tell her it had all been a nightmare, and the path in front of her would have been easy to trod. All the books and stories she had devoured had prepared her not to this moment. She felt, now, as if they had betrayed her, because, as far as she could see, there was no self-assured confidence in her heart, no faith, no bravery in the face of death. She felt alone, wizened and naked.

And yet, at the bottom of that pit of despair she found a few burning coals. They shone red, and at the dancing flames she felt some of the old bravery of her kind, the people of Pohjola, reignite. For had they not fought a war of their own? Long ago, for the possession of the Golden Mill? And was not Louhi their ancestor and guide? Thus Lotte Yanson took Sucy's hand, and nodded, more to herself than anyone else.

Ursula's gaze touched her, and a proud smile danced on her lips.

"Do not bemoan your actions, Lotte Yanson," she said in a soft voice. "For you erred on counsel of friendship, and worry born of love. This will have to count for something." Ursula nodded, stood up from the chair. It seemed to Lotte, and to all of them, to see their Professor transfigured, tall and shining from a white flame, the soothing light of distant stars, now came to walk here on the land. "It is now the time of the youngest generation. Little Witches come out of their rooms to shake towers and face the ill wind! Remember the words in your heart that pushed you to risk neck and limb for your friend. They might have something of the utmost importance to say, before the end."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We rest for a moment. Let us know of the coming peril, but also rest assured we will face it together, all tied together by links of friendship.  
> Not Akko and Diana, though. They are alone on the road. Who knows how they might be faring? This and more, in the next chapter. 
> 
> Also, I decided, to make things a little clearer, to ufficially turn this into a crossover with Tolkien's works. This way a few of the details I put in might be a little clearer. I was on the fence about doing this, but a few of your comments pished me to do it. As always, your feedback is appreciated and I believe necessary. And that would be your cue to leave a comment!
> 
> And as always thank you for your support and your unwavering kindness.  
> In closing, I hope my American readers had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I also hope they will not tear themselves apart on Black Friday. Please refrain yourself from trampling eachother: who cannot throw away a treasure in need is in fetters.  
> See you on Saturday!


	10. X - Together on the road

Morning came like a thief, robbing the night of the last of its peace. The eerie silence that had followed Akko and Diana for three days now left room to the chirping of birds and a far rustling of leaves. Akko blinked, brushed away a few strands from her hair, and sat up, letting go of Diana's hand. She still needed to sleep, but the aftermath of last night had left her with so much untapped energy, she needed to do something.

Diana lay asleep against the door.

Akko looked down at her own hand. She had been holding Diana's hand for... how long?

Something warm pressed against her cheeks. Must be all that energy.

Ugh. What would happen to her? Would she catch the aristocratic bug from touching Diana's hand for so long?

She felt like she ought to brush it against her side, but for some reason she did not.

Her other hand still held the remains of her poor bow, and that brought Akko to soberer thoughts. Even the half that had survived was cracked and splintered. The string hung from it like a forgotten thread in a destroyed spiderweb. There was nothing she could do to save it, not without weeks of labour and the right wood to repair it. Nor could she ask for more of Mother's hair to repair the string, nor could she ask for Father's forgiveness...

Akko's lips trembled, but she balled her fists and tried to steel herself. This was not the time to weep for her broken bow. They were still alone, in an abandoned tower, and had barely escaped an encounter with hungry, toothy death.

Akko slowly opened the door. It creaked on its hinges and revealed an empty corridor. No sign of wolves. Downstairs, Akko saw the rubble that used to be the door and the door's arch. Arrows lay abandoned on the floor, arrows she clearly remembered having hit their targets. Akko shivered.

She came back into the room, surveying it. There was nothing that could be useful to them. This place had lied abandoned for years, maybe decades. A long knife lay in a corner, but it was bent and rusty. The rest was but rubbish and a pile of old clothes she wouldn't touch with a stick.

In the end, she could do nothing more but wake Diana up.

Cavendish. She had to remember. _Cavendish_.

 

Though it did feel strange to call her like that. It seemed to belong to another Akko, who who had not killed a huge wolf with three arrows. Her fingers stll stung from the effort.

"Hey," Akko said, shaking her gently on her left shoulder. "Diana. Wake up."

Diana opened her azure eyes. For a moment, Akko saw a shadow of panic seize them. They fluttered as if expecting a wolf to jump from the shadows, teeth glistening.

Then she blinked, and it passed.

"Kag-... Akko. What time is it? How long did I sleep?"

Akko shrugged.

"No idea. It's morning, and we survived. That's what's important, I guess."

Diana pursed her lips, as if she was about to say something. But she did not. Stood up, and limited herself to a nod. Her eyes lingered on Akko's broken bow, but she said nothing once more.

"Let us leave this place," Diana said in the end. "We have to reach the road, and I am not sure how far we strayed from it."

Before leaving the tower, though, Akko followed her upstairs, as she wanted to use the highest parapet to take a look. Akko saw Diana's hand close on her chest, where the mysterious box was. That was the cause of all their problems, for sure. That Diana still refused to take it out, to show it to her, miffed Akko to no end.

"It is so far away," Diana said as she looked to the west. Beyond hills and trees, there was a far-away glistening of white before an expanse of white. The towers of Luna Nova, in the distance.

Who knew how Lotte and Sucy were faring. Akko hoped Sucy did not resort to poisoning half the faculty to escape boredom.

"That's our destination, for the time being," Diana then said, pointing to the northeast. Akko saw another expanse of white, though far smaller than the sea. A lake. "Westerndale. At a glance, it would be at  a day's march, on horse. On foot..."

Akko winced. They had no horses, anymore. Poor beasts. And no supplies. She was not going to go into the forest to look for them around the carcass of Diana's horse, that's for sure. Just the thought of seeing what teeth and talons did to the poor animal made her stomach turn. "Two days at the very least, maybe two days and a half. Let's hope the Enemy's hunger is soothed be the damage He already caused! We have at least one more night on the road."

Akko said nothing. She just nodded. She did not feel like talking much.

Things improved a little as they left the tower. Diana guided the two of them, and she was making a passable job, though Akko would have liked to point at a few tracking details. But she did not. The events of the past night still lingered on her shoulders.

She had put her bow, or what remained of it, inside her bag. One of her knives had survived, and as soon as she found a suitable branch, began to fashion a new bow for herself. It was finished in a couple hours. She used her own hair as the string, something that drew Diana's attention.

Akko smiled weakly as she cut down another length.

"It is a tradition in my land," she explained, and said nothing else.

The new bow was far from ideal. Akko had to train her hand to adjust for the thousand mistakes the bad wood and her untrained craft pushed her to make, but after a few attempts, she managed to catch a brown rabbit.

They reached the road again and proceeded, wary but not scared anymore. The wood, though now more brown and grey than golden and red as it used to be a few days before, was full of voices and life. Birds sang and leaves crackled. They were once more on the road. As far as illusions of safety went, Akko could be content with it.

For the whole day, they met no one. The land seemed abandoned and lay emptied, like a gutted fish.

They stopped next to a large oak and sat on soft musk. Akko began to skin the rabbit, with an efficiency that made Diana wince.

She grinned.

"Never seen a skinned one before?"

"Not... not used to it, that's all," Diana said, blushing, as she looked away.

Akko _was_ used to this sort of thing. Father had insisted she'd come together with him ever since she was ten and could not shoot an arrow straight. She remembered the first time Father had given her a knife and pointed at the still-breathing rabbit she had nicked in the foot with the arrow.

That had been one year before she met the Grey Witch.

Before she found out about magic, about Luna Nova, and her life changed forever.

Akko finished skinning the rabbit. It was a young specimen, not too much fat on it. Not much meat for the two of them, but between the chestnuts she had picked on the way, it would be enough to survive at least another day. At least they still had enough water.

Akko began preparing a fire. She saw Diana looking at her, but still the blonde Witch said nothing. Maybe she thought... Akko frowned. Whatever. She had a meal to cook.

In the end, she made a stew. The rabbit happily boiled, and Akko brushed her hands together in front of the flames. The day was going dark, and soon would have to find a way to rest. They had lost most of their blankets as well.

Akko put a finger in the boiling water, tasted it. Boiled rabbit, on its own, actually tastes bitter, and this one was particularly horrible.

Akko made a face.

"What's the problem?" Came Diana's question. She had rested under the tree, looking at her wand like it was a poisonous snake.

"Nothing, this rabbit tastes just as I expected!"

"Oh?"

"Terrible!"

Diana blinked.

"I... we will have to make do, I guess."

"No, no, I actually..." Akko put a hand inside her own clothes, producing a small paper bag. Even at a distance, a prodigious scent came from the small package: herbs and salt... an inviting one that reminded Akko of the best feasts in her house. "A little present from Jasminka. The moment she heard I might leave Luna Nova she made sure to give this to me! It's not much, but it's just the right stuff to turn a bitter rabbit into an excellent stew!"

Akko poured the contents of the bag inside the boiling stew, and the smell bettered at once.

In a few minutes it was ready. Diana winced at the first taste, but quickly her expression turned shocked, then delighted, then ravenous, and she finished the rabbit in a series of quick morsels.

Akko smiled and bit into her own half. It tasted a lot better. When she came back, she'd better buy Jasminka some sweets.

"I will have more respect for Luna Nova's cooks," Diana said in the end she put the bones away.

"Hey, don't throw them away!" Akko took Diana's bones, cracked them open with her teeth, and showed the dark marrow inside. "This is the best part. Eat it, it's good for your bones and your heart!"

Diana made a face, but did as Akko told - that was a first, and Akko was actually surprised Diana Cavendish, highest marks in ten years, Witch extraordinaire, listened to her.

"You eat marrow?" Diana said as she scooped the brown stuff and put it on her fingers to taste it. "It's... not that bad actually. I never..."

"It's nutritious stuff," Akko grinned. "Father always made sure I ate plenty of it to grow strong and healthy! We went on our first hunt together when I was ten! The year before I met Shiny Chariot!"

Diana nodded, pursing her lips.

"That must have been... nice."

Something resurfaced, unbidden, in Akko's mind.

_I did not have a father to go hunting with, Kagari!_

Oh.

Akko smiled sheepishly and finished her marrow.

They did not speak for a while.

In the end, it was Diana who did.

"Any hope for your bow?"

Akko shrugged.

"Maybe when I come back. I..." her shoulders slumped. "I am not sure I can repair it, actually. I am not that good at this stuff." She chuckled. "You must have seen as much."

Diana frowned.

"Would you stop being so hard on yourself? You managed some... impressive things, recently."

Akko frowned.

A flash of a memory, the weight and pressure of the arrow on her bow, the aim, the hope in her heart it would strike, the jolt of relief when it hit the wolf before it could strike Diana...

 Maybe it was the loss of her bow, but she still felt... actually she was not sure. There were all these different currents of emotions inside her, battling for dominance, trying to steer her towards being angry at Diana, angry at herself, angry at the world... scared, hopeful... confused, just like that morning, when she woke up holding Diana's hand and she was afraid she'd catch the aristocratic bug.

"Make up your mind," Akko said in the end. "You can't praise me w-when... when yesterday night you said all those mean things!" Akko huffed and crossed her arms.

Diana licked her lips, sighed and seemed to deflate, as if some weight was about to be released from her shoulders. Then she stood up, and bowed at the waist, as low as she could.

"My deepest apologies. I should not have reacted like I did yesterday. You were right about the wolves, Kagari. I should have listened to you, and I was not in the best state of mind. My behaviour put us both in peril and I was unbecoming of my stature and my blood."

Akko paused. She had not expected anything like that.

Not from Diana.

Still that warmth upon heer cheeks. Maybe she _did_ catch the aristocratic bug?

"W-well, it is I that should be sorry! I should not have shouted like that! It was, like you say, unbegoing!"

"Unbecoming."

"Yes, that!" Akko nodded. "That one. I am sorry I used magic when I was not supposed to! I..."

"I am sorry as well," Diana confessed. She looked at her wand, once again like she did not trust it. "I take pride in my self restraint, Kagari. I am supposed to be better than this. I ought to resist the temptation and the whispers of the Enemy, and hold steadfast against His fear! I should not have used magic."

A silence fell.

"And thank you for... for saving my life," Diana said at last.

Akko felt something warm press against her cheeks.

She only tried to do her best! Why hearing Diana Cavendish praise her of all people made her feel... warm? Of all things? It did not make sense!

"I-it's nothing," Akko said.

"If that is what you wish to deem it, but it was _quite_ important to me," Diana said.

Akko blinked.

"You... you just made a joke?"

"Yes?"

"You are _able_ to make jokes?"

"Would you stop looking at me like that? Recompose yourself, Kagari, and keep your jaw up, before it hits the ground!"

Akko laughed. It was a crass, loud laughter, the kind of sound that, the night before, would have attracted all the wolves that had ever existed, but tonight the air was clear, and still smelled faintly of delicious rabbit, and she could not stop herself, because Diana, amazing, beautiful, Diana Cavendish had just praised her and had thanked her for saving her life and she felt so giddy for some reason, even if they were lost, and still hungry, and dirty, in the middle of the road... Akko could not stop herself from laughing.

And after a while, Diana followed her, though her laugh was far more refined, like the tinkering of silver bells, and she covered her mouth with her hand.

At last, the echoes of their intermingled laughs faded away, leaving the air somewhat clearer, lighter.

"Kindest Beatrix, I needed that," Diana sighed. "Maybe this journey with you will not be the death of me, Kagari."

"Yep. Maybe I will _not_ die of boredom." Akko retorted.

She extended a hand.

"Truce?"

"Truce. For real, this time," Diana said, and shook it.

Akko pursed her lips. Was that the right moment to ask to carry the box? Maybe she would poison this moment, and touching Diana's hand like that had been... well... it was a bit like when she found an unexpected present from her parents, and all the lights in her heart went _whoa_ , and sparked and shone like fireworks in the air before the temple, but maybe, if Diana refused...

There would be a better occasion.

"I regret everything I said," Diana said at last. "I will make sure to behave in a better manner from now on."

Akko grinned.

"You have such a complicated way to say sorry."

"I am not _complicated_ , Kagari. I am _dignified_."

"Sure, sure," Akko just replied.

She looked around. The fire was dying, and they'd better find a spacious tree where to sleep if they wanted to pass the night.

"Want to use the oak as a place to sleep? It's spacious."

"I never slept on a tree." Diana winced. "Is it feasible?"

"Yep. Pretty easy. Just... I am not sure I have any blankets..." Akko rummaged in her backpack. She produced a grey, coarse cloth that she had put inside the night of the attack, because it was easier than put it back inside the horse's saddlebags.

"I... have one."

"Oh," Diana said, and blushed.

 

-

 

Far, far away, shadows fell upon the road. Nine horsemen, tall and clad in all black, so dark it seemed like a hole had been bore in the night. As the black horses upon which they rode trod on fallen leaves, one of the horsemen, the tallest, drew a horrible, meaty sound. The air seemed to crawl away from the figure like gum from rotten teeth.

It had lost the trace. It had been so clear just the day before! And now a fog had come back to hide its mark.

The figure drew a deep breath. Yet, there was something here. Something that would renew the hunt. It descended from the horse, and walked around in the darkness. The other eight figures followed it, saying nothing.

At last, it found it. It was a small book, one a certain Witch had forgotten a few days before, when she had awakened from her slumber and went to look for her companion.

The figure opened the book.

 _Property of Diana Cavendish_ , it read on the first page.

A moment of silence stretched, and then the figure let out a single word, a name. The voice echoed poisonous, dripping with hunger, cold mirth, and eagerness for the hunt.

" _Cavendish_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ending on a pretty ominous, are we not? The Nine are on the move! What awaits Akko and Diana...? Maybe you will find on the next update, maybe on the next one, but rest assured you will find out.
> 
> On related notes, it's time for a bit of introspection here. This story is at about 30K words, and it's November 26th, so... I am not going to pass the 50K mark at any time before the end of November. So no NaNoWriMo quota for this year.  
> On the other hand, I managed to keep a pretty consistent pace. Also, I did manage to finish that 30K novella I want to publish, so this month, together with everything else I have been writing, I passed the 50K mark (sitting at about 65K at the moment of writing). Still not going to consider this a victory.
> 
> All in all, I'll have to slow down publishing for a while, as some good news came up: I have found a new apartment and am in the process of moving. Between work and everything else, time flows way too fast, and this is a story I WANT to write because I feel like writing it. So for a while expect a new update on Saturday only (for a while, not forever), though if some miracle happen I might pop up with the occasional chapter here and there.
> 
> The good news in all this is... I planned to end this in 50K and before November, but things blowed up, and now, while I do know how I am going to finish this tale... Akko and Diana will have to wander a lot more than one simple month! Cheer up then! More peril awaits us! More danger, more action, more adventure! And more romance, which as you have seen is slowly but surely starting to tiptoe its way in. About damn time!
> 
> Thank you all for your comments and your support. I hope you will keep on commenting and following this story! Next update on Saturday. In the meantime, think of Lotte, for next time we will meet her again.  
> And the chapter after that? Bathing scene. At last.


	11. XI - Lotte, Barbara, and the common good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's see how Barbara and Lotte interact. And how Lotte's brush with the Enemy has changed her.

Lotte had spent the last three days at the library. Under the dancing light of candles, she had jumped from book to book, from volume to volume, each pile becoming dustier and more ancient as the few notes she managed to scribble covered barely half of a page. No wonder they had known nothing about this Enemy. Even in the older sections, there was very little about the Nine Olden Witches, or what had happened after they had founded Luna Nova. Even most of their names were lost to history. She could only find two: Beatrix and Jennifer. But those two she knew about, as there was even a statue of the Witch Jennifer in the glasshouse.

Lotte closed yet another book, raising a small burst of dust from the pages. She took out her glasses and kneaded her tired eyes. She had walked blindly into darkness once, and she did not want to make the same mistake twice.

Who knew where Akko was. Professor Ursula had adamantly forbidden her to try and contact Akko once more through the spirits, but Lotte had no intention to. She shivered. Winter was approaching, but it was the memory of her encounter that chilled her to the bone.

She had managed to compile only a short list of notes on what had happened. The Enemy was given no name, and probably did not even have one. It made no difference, though. He was described as a growing darkness, full of malice and gnawing of teeth, eager for magic and the destruction of Witches. In the war that followed, the Nine Olden Witches managed to cast Him down, but there was no further detail on how that had happened, or when. Only that the fight against the Enemy had cost the Nine Olden Witches dearly.

Also, some of the volumes she wanted to look at had been taken already, who knows by whom. Just her luck. Lotte sighed and took another sip from the potion Sucy had given her. It tasted sweet, orange and cinnamon, and had allowed her thoughts to feel less sluggish these days. It seemed her friend, when she put her mind to it, was able to create more than poisons.

Still, she had to find something. If she found a way to send a letter to Akko, or... something like that... just to let her know how she missed her, and how much she wanted her to return in one piece...

Lotte finished her potion and left her desk, carrying with her five books, the ones she had to put back into place. As she turned a corner - in the library corners were mostly made of shelves - she found someone else looking at the history section.

Lotte froze. She knew the dark-haired Witch, who turned as she heard her coming.

"You. What are you doing here?" The other Witch asked.

"I am asking you," Lotte answered. Barbara wasn't high on her list of favourite people. Lotte eyed the books she was carrying. "But those..."

"I was looking for _those_ books!" Barbara exclaimed, walking up to Lotte and putting a hand over her pile. "Was it you who took them?"

"I wanted... uh..."

"Why did you take them? I need them more."

"Hey!"

One week before, Lotte Yanson would have been scared out of her wits by the dark-haired Witch. But one week before, she still had to meet the gnawing darkness that had assaulted and marred her - and after facing that... thing, and His unwavering malice, Barbara Parker truly amounted to a small threat.

"I am looking for hints," Lotte explained, holding the books close to her chest. Her heart beat fast and her breath was haggard - and yet she felt more alive than she had been in months. It was the strangest thing: stand up to herself and to what she believed! Before meeting Akko, and before her brush with the Will that had almost shattered her, she would have never done that. "I want to help Akko! I can't stay here covered in blankets and drinking tea!"

Barbara blinked and took a step back. She seemed as shocked by Lotte's decisiveness as Lotte herself.

"So, please, uhm... let me see those books! I really need them."

Barbara pursed her lips.

"Stars, I need _yours_! I want to know where Diana is! And what's happening!" She shivered in the empty room, looking at the shadows as if they could pounce onto her at any moment. "I don't know what's happening. I do not like it! And without Diana..." her downcast gaze lingered on the floor.

Lotte looked at the pile of books Barbara was holding.

"Hey. We can... we could..." this was _strange_. Asking Barbara of all people... "... compare notes, I guess?"

Barbara blinked, as if Lotte had just proposed to jump over the moon.

"Would you... would you do that?" She asked.

"Yes! We can share! This way we might be able to find something quicker! It makes sense!" And the more Lotte thought about it, the more it did.

Barbara hesitated. Lotte saw in her eyes how high Barbara held in her regard. She was Lotte Yanson, that strange girl who friend with that Akko freak, the unsuccessful, unskilled, bespectacled Witch who scared half the dormitory with her attack only a few days before.

But then something changed, and slowly Barbara nodded.

She guided her back to her desk, and she sat down in front of Barbara, who opened her books and passed her the notes she had managed to gather.

"This... is mostly what I got," Lotte said after reading them. "Except for... what's, what are the Nin-"

Barbara covered her mouth with her hand. Lotte, startled, stopped talking at once. Barbara looked around, once more as if she expected the shadows to jump into the room and grasp her.

A silly fear, if not for what Lotte had experienced herself.

" _The Hollow Kings_ ," Barbara said in a hunched whisper. "I heard... from my family, in the south. Whispers of figures robed in all black, roaming the countryside. Fear rides with them. I tried to tell Diana they were on the move, but she apparently knew it already and... oh... I don't know if she's safe!" Barbara withdrew her hand and took her forehead in both, shaking it slowly. "If only I could find her! I should have gone with her, Barbara and I together, and not that walking disaster!"

"Hey!" Lotte exclaimed. "If you want to keep comparing notes, stop badmouthing Akko! I know she's not the most brilliant... or the most amazing Witch, but she's a great friend! And she's not even here, so stop it!"

Barbara looked stunned for a moment. It seemed that to her the notion someone could find Akko pleasing was such a foreign concept she had problems grasping it.

Yet, slowly she nodded.

"Alright, alright. For the sake of our research, and Diana's safety. But seriously, tell me you wouldn't have preferred someone else to go with Diana!"

Lotte thought about it, then shook her head.

"No. _I_ would have preferred to go with Akko, and Sucy as well, though she does not say so. But if Professor Ursula thought Akko was the best choice for Diana's companion, then I... I believe she's right."

Barbara frowned.

"How can you be sure? The girl does not have a hint of Witchen blood in her veins. She's unfit as a companion for such a model Witch as Diana Cavendish."

Lotte shook her head once more.

"You don't know her. She's a little clumsy, but you don't know how much heart she puts into things. She's one who would give her right arm for you without a second thought, magic talent or not. Can you say the same about you and Hannah?"

Lotte had tried not to make her voice sound too harsh, but there was a strength inside it she had not found in all her life. It seemed to her there was a soft, white flame inside it, a self-assuredness that only those who had faced fear itself and come back to tell the tale can possess.

Barbara turned her gaze down.

"I don't know. I don't know how to answer! I care about Diana! Don't you think we just dangle at her tail. She's dear to us, and not just because she's a Cavendish! You don't know her as well!"

Lotte clicked her tongue.

"Then, for the time being, let's agree to disagree? For the sake of Akko. And Diana."

She extended a hand.

Barbara hesitated a moment, but shook it.

"I can't believe I am doing this," she whispered, more to herself than anybody else.

Lotte chuckled.

"Me neither. So... uhm, why don't you give me your books? And I can give you mine."

Barbara nodded, and they exchanged tomes. They did not speak for a long while, looking down into the pages for hints, secrets, and solutions.

The peace between them held.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little shorter as an update today. I wanted to make sure you appreciated the scene in itself, as starting next chapter we will get back to Akko and Diana's adventures. It's a bit strange updating this story only on Saturday. I really hope you don't mind and you will continue on following it. Your support and comments this past month has been unbelieavable and I cannot, really, I *cannot* stress how much I appreciate it.
> 
> So please keep supporting this silly tale of friendship, love, and bravery in the face of evil.
> 
> Also, those of you who like bathing scenes between former rivals turned fire-forged friends... next time you might be in for a treat. 
> 
> Please let me know what do you think of Barbara's involvement! I wanted to expand the role of Akko's friends and I have found a very nice parallel story that will keep Lotte, Sucy & company quite busy in the next few weeks. See you soon and thatnk you again for all your support!


	12. XII - Got your back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas, everyone. Here's your promised chapter, with a lot of... uhm... relationship development in this one. Also, that bath scene...? It's here!

Diana was roused by the wind. She blinked. Everything around her was grey. A fog had enveloped them both, and even the thick blanket Kagari had shared had not been enough to keep them warm, it seemed. It was now covered by a thin pearly sheen of dampness.

Diana also found out another thing: at some point during the night, she and Akko must have... embraced. Surely to fight off the cold. Kagari's face was so close to her. Too close. Dangerously close.

Slowly, Diana extricated herself from the embrace. Cold air immediately ran through her clothes, and she shivered. The world appeared and disappeared, the road, branches and trees covered and uncovered by the running fog. It was as if the world was playing a trick on them, hiding and showing itself to throw them off.

Winter was at the door. It would start knocking soon.

Diana looked down at Akko. She was still sleeping. Not a surprise, but maybe she could allow her a couple more minutes? She still felt so stupid for giving out to fear so easily the other night. She was a Cavendish! She was supposed to be steadfast and brave. The Enemy's shadow was not an excuse for being a coward, after all.

Then again, look at the girl next to her. She had not a speck of magical talent in her. She had come from so far away Akko might as well had sprouted from the ground, like a dangerously unskilled turnip, and with no magical history to speak of. She only saw magic as a performance, to make people laugh, not as the secret, powerful Art it was.

And yet, with all her silliness and lack of understanding, this girl had resisted the Enemy. Sure, He had been attracted to something else, most likely Diana's own presence. Often she had felt Him looking for her, appraise her degree of preparedness and magical development. Akko must have been to Him nothing more than a passing curiosity. And yet. And yet, the girl had been touched directly by His presence, and had resisted. She did not seem to have any lingering effects from His touch, either.

And she _was_ beautiful.

Unbidden and shocking as the thought was, Diana could not suppress it. It must have been due to Akko saving her life. At times, when she closed her eyes, Diana once again saw the black, ravenous wolf, its pearly eyes, the glistening fangs that almost had her.

Diana moved a lock of Akko's hair away from her forehead.

The girl frowned, blinked and opened her eyes.

Diana withdrew her hand immediately. Even in the chill wind, her cheek and face were warm.

"Diana?" Akko said. "Good morning..."

"A pleasant morning to you, Akko," Diana said, far too formal even to her own ears.

 _Akko_.

It was such an odd sensation to roll her name like that.

 _Akko_.

Not at all unpleasant.

“How did you sleep? Not so bad sleeping on a tree, uh?”

Akko asked. Already her obnoxious, annoying, uplifting, enticing, contagious energy was coming up. It was a bit like Diana had found a second dawn all of her own.

Her eyes shied away, her cheeks still burning.

“It was… interesting,” Diana conceded.

“We can do it again! When there’s not half the world at stake!”

“We can… discuss this,” conceded Diana, non-committally. Why did the thought of sleeping with Akko again made her…

No, she had to stay _focused_!

Her hand rose to grip around the iron box on her chest. Akko’s eyes followed her gesture.

“Huh, is it safe? Do you want me to keep it for a while?”

Stars shone in Akko’s eyes, but Diana slowly shook her head. This at least was her charge, and she would not fail again. Not this time. She had learned her lesson.

But she could answer more kindly than last time.

“I would prefer to do so, Akko, for the time being at least.”

“Oh…” Akko slumped next to her like a puppy being denied her favourite toy.

Diana had a sudden urged to scratch her behind the ears, but she steeled herself.

“Please do understand, Akko. I understand your desire to show your skill. It is my own. But I recently erred, put of arrogance. My confidence was bruised. Please allow this to be a balm upon my wounds.”

Akko scratched her chin.

“Uh, so… you got your pants in a knot… and want to put yourself under even more stress? That does not make sense.”

“Akko! I _do not_ get my pants in a knot.”

“Heh. Neither do I, it seems.”

That must have come out in a slightly different way from what Akko hoped, because she flushed red like a pepper, twisting her hands.

“I meant! I uh! That thing. With the pants… before… when… you know. Whatever! It’s a beautiful morning, we better rise and shine!”

Akko jumped down from the tree in one fluid movement and began to walk away at a briskly pace.

“Akko.”

She turned.

“The West is that way,” Diana pointed in the opposite direction.

“Ah. Uh… well… well, of course! I only wanted to make sure you knew that! Diana Cavendish, as sharp as ever! I’ll wait for you to come down, here. In case, you know… wolves. Or something.”

Diana chuckled, besides herself.

 _She has every confidence in me_.

The thought was sweeter than Diana thought possible.

 

-

 

Professor Ursula took out her working clothes. She put her teaching garments on a hook. Hesitating for a moment, she looked at herself in the tall mirror in her room. Not out of vanity, but out of concern. There had been a time when she had been known as the Grey Wanderer. The sedentary life of a teacher had not been kind to her. It was now time to recover her old strength.

She quickly put on her old travel clothes: a simple grey tunic and her blue hat.

She set her wand away. She would need something a little more serious for the dire task that awaited her.

Opening a secret compartment in her wardrobe, she withdrew two things.

The first was her old staff. Taller than she was, a long straight shaft, surmounted by a simple crystal embedded in the wooden crown. The yew was scratched, wizened, and yet warm and welcoming in her hands. Holding it she felt way more at ease than with her teacher-grade wand.

The second thing was a long, white sword. She lifted it high and practised a few hissing swings.

She was not that much out of practice, good.

Still, a good staff and a well-balanced sword, no matter how sharp and ancient, were paltry things before the strength of the Enemy. Already poor Lotte had been subjected to His terror.

The young Witch had not broken, though.

Ursula had delayed her departure, telling herself she needed to make sure Lotte was fine, and there was no lingering effect, no link from which the Enemy could once again enter Luna Nova.

But with every day her concerns for Lotte had eased, while those for Akko and Diana only increased.

The Nine would be looking for them. And no matter how powerful or high-born Diana Cavendish was, Ursula doubted she could withstand any of the Nine, even less so all of them, united under the Black Captain.

Even Ursula, even together with the White Witch and the entire teaching staff of Luna Nova, would not dare face the Nine.

Not if she could avoid it.

And yet now she had to.

Better for them to chase an old silly Witch like her than to go after Akko and Diana. For the hope of the world was not reposed in Ursula. Not any more, at least.

Ursula covered herself completely with her old grey clothes, caressed Alcor and whispered to his ear:

“It is now time for us to depart, old friend. See if you can find Akko and Diana, and help them on their journey! Tell me where they are! Make sure they stay away from the Nine, and they do not stray from the path!”

Alcor cawed, bowed and flew away into the night.

Ursula gave one last look at her old room. It had been a pleasant parenthesis in her journey, to pose as a teacher. Look after Akko Kagari for three years. If anything, that had been her greatest joy.

But it was now time for direr tasks.

She closed the door behind herself.

Ursula walked to the stables. She did not expect to find Nelson waiting for her, and indeed the Witch must have been asleep at this late hour. Even better. She would not waste time explaining why she was about to steal her fastest horse.

She did find someone, though.

Standing next to the stables, an old, short Witch looked for her with a smile. She also had a staff.

“Hoolbrooke,” Ursula said.

“I was hoping I would find you here,” the Headmaster replied, bowing slightly. “Is it time already for you to depart?”

“Yes, it is time, and not a moment too late.”

“I see you have taken everything with you. Your staff, and even that old sword. Ah! I would like to gift you with something useful, but you already possess the ultimate weapon.”

“Valor needs first strength, and then a weapon,” Ursula wearily replied. “I only hope my meager skills will be enough.” A pause, and a strange smiled dawned on Ursula’s lips. “But these are strange times. Too long we put our confidence in magic, and it might be time to put our confidence in something else.”

Slowly, Holbrooke nodded.

“Still, we will do our best! I will not risk our students.”

“And yet, you might find some of them would be better suited for the ramparts than hiding in the kitchen. Even without Diana Cavendish, there is no shortage of talent! O’Neill, to mention the first that comes to mind.”

“You would not expect me to give them a sword and an order to fight!”

“And yet an hour approaches that will require all our might. Do not face it unprepared!”

Ursula freed the horse and mounted it. No stirrups or reins required for her. The animal accepted her with the same ease it would have accepted rain or wind.

“Wait!” Hoolbroke said before she could dash. “It is true I possess nothing as valuable as what you already have, or what the White Witch could give you, but I do have this.”

Holbrooke rummaged inside her own clothes and produced a tiny red lantern.

“When the star in your lighthouse died, it left a few embers behind. They have been passed on from Headmaster to Headmaster. This is the last one. I gift it to you, Grey Witch. May it help you in lighting hearts to bravery, in a world that grows ever colder.”

Ursula let Holbrooke put it in her palm.

“I will treasure it! Now I must go! May the Seven Stars and the Seven Words guide you!”

Ursula whispered a few words into the horse’s ear, and it dashed forward, fast like a sudden blow of wind. She was galloping through the courtyard, and then under the tall arch and posts of steel that held the unconquered Gate of Luna Nova, and then into the wilderness.

Ursula disappeared into the night.

 

-

 

Akko and Diana walked as fast as they could. The cold morning had given way to an even colder afternoon. Winter seemed about to reclaim the land.

Akko had memories of winter in her own land, and from those she had seen in her three years in Luna Nova. Those had been joyous times. She would play with Lotte and Sucy, and even though she dreaded winter exams, she loved snow and ice.

But this year’s winter would be cruel, she knew it already. Wind picked up in spurts, its cold fingers slithering under clothes, to touch throat and heart. It spoke of hungry, unkind things awaiting in the shadows, old slumbering creatures regurgitated by the soil, come now once more from their holes in the mountains, under the shadow that veiled the sun.

And yet, Akko did not despair.

Despair was dumb.

She did not do dumb things.

Well, not on purpose.

Diana, next to Akko, would probably lift an arm and say something ponderous like ‘craven are those who depart when the path darkens,’ or some other deep, Diana-like line like that. But it was pretty much the same thing.

She would not despair.

In fact, her brush with the enemy from the past had left her… shaken, but reinvigorated in a way. It was one thing to fear something she did not understand. But she had seen him, and she had felt its will, and she had not broken.

Surely there was more from where that was coming from, but she would face it just like she did with everything else.

Taking it in stride.

She had not panicked that time Sucy had turned an entire wing of Luna Nova into a living mushroom, she would not lose her bearings when it was just some old boogey-man.

Akko turned her head to take one long look at Diana. The Witch had not spoken much, but now the silence between them had a different quality than before. It was now much warmer… before it had felt like a huge chasm, an abyss that could never be filled. They rested comfortably in the echoes of each others’ steps.

There was something odd in the linking of 'comfortable' and 'Cavendish', but then again who as Akko to complain? This felt much, much better than before. When they had fist departed, Akko had tried to fill their every waking moment with something to say, or to do, either to, uhm... make sure Diana did not ignore her the way she used to, and to push away that empty feeling of numbness that overcame her. But now... they were on equal footing, or at least much, much closer.

And among the things that Atsuko Kagari learned there was one that surprised her among any one else: she enjoyed being close to Diana Cavendish.

Who would have thought!

The blonde Witch still carried herself with her usual grace, and poise, but then again that was beautiful to watch, had always been. Akko had often let her gaze linger just a tiny moment more on her rival, during the past three years. She was her _rival_ , she had to make sure she knew her!

But now when Akko looked at Diana, she knew the blonde Witch would not be shocked or repulsed by her... focus. In fact, she might even welcome it.

Akko's theory was about to be put to the test, when Diana turned her head, not towards Akko, but to the East, where a tall column of black smoke rose to the sky.

A fell wind seemed to rise from the desolated road, and Akko had to cover her nose at the stench.

“What's... what's that?”

“I do have a suspicion,” Diana replied. “I would go and take a look to confirm, but it might be dangerous. Do you feel like coming with me?”

Akko blinked.

Diana Cavendish had asked for her opinion. For her approval.

Akko blinked again.

Diana had not disappeared, and she had not woken up in Sucy's laboratory.

This was real.

“Akko?” Diana frowned, her voice coming as if from a great distance.

“Ah! Yes! Yes I would like to come with you! And protect you, in case something bad happens!”

Diana blushed faintly.

“In... case of danger. Yes. That would be the best. The two of us... would be the better solution. I do agree.”

Akko's brain finally connected to her mouth.

“Wait! I meant... I did not want to say you cannot hold your own, just that I...”

“It matters not, Akko,” Diana replied, waving her hand, “it matters not. Your... bravery is appreciated.”

Akko bit her lip. She always wanted to say _so much_ and always ended up tripping on her words. If only she could speak as well as Diana...

But it was no more time for words. Diana led Akko in the thick of the woods, holding her wrist with her own hand. Akko blushed faintly at the contact.

It was so warm.

And it was so daring! Exploring the woods, with Diana Cavendish! And she had thought this would be a boring adventure! Instead her heart beat in her ears with the echoes of a thousand drums.

Then, the smell became too strong, even for Akko's daydreaming powers.

She choked and covered her face with her sleeve.

“What's this,” she asked once more, and Diana, once they passed a few more trees, was finally able to give a clear answer.

“ _Yrch_ ,” she said.

In the middle of a clearing, stood a smoking pile of bodies.

For Akko, who was not new to gore, it was still the second-most unsettling experience of the last few weeks, only second to her brush with that oily, toothed darkness. The bodies were... misshapen, and not only due to heat and fire. Their skin black, covered with blisters and wounds where arrows had pierced and swords had finished the job. Whatever eyes the creatures might have had had long-since evaporated in the pyre, but their mouths, filled with sharp, cruel teeth, were open in a mute scream.

“What's this,” Akko asked, once again. And she meant _why_.

“Not all the servants of the Enemy are ghosts and wolves. Broken things, ever hungry for flesh and pillage, they are. Slithered out of their deep dark holes in the hills. These _Yirch_ have been killed not long ago. The wounds... arrows, I gather. Maybe a group of hunters? But the holes are too precise, and we are too close to Westerndale. No, I believe this is the doing of the Men of Westerndale.”

“Then... then this is a good thing, no? We are close!”

“It is good news, in the sense we are close to out first stop in the journey. Not good news at all, as I am ready to bet my right hand this was not the only patrol the Enemy dispatched, nor the only band that departed the darkness under hills for rape and pillage.”

Akko pouted.

“We are always getting into more and more danger.”

“Do not despair, Akko!” Diana took her hands in her own. “Westerndale is near! You have your bow at the ready, and I confide in you!”

“I, uh... t-that's...” Akko stuttered. Why was she feeling such heat, especially around her cheeks? It was supposed to be winter. “T-that's good.”

At her reaction, it was Diana's turn to look abashed. She let go of Akko's hands, her eyes shying away.

“I mean... you saved my life once already. I can count on you.”

“That... that you can do! I will try my best!” Akko said, balling her fists. “I will do my best! No _Yirch_ or ghost or whatever is going to touch you, not if I can do something about it!”

And Akko was right, though she did not know it yet, nor did she know how much her dedication would cost her.

“I... will do the same. We have been on the road for weeks now, Akko. I was wrong I the way I judged you before. I hope our newfound friendship will hold fast.”

“You can bet!” Akko replied.

They stood there for a few more moments, but the stench in the end proved too much for Akko, and the left. Looking at _Yrch_ by the way was not a pleasant past-time, not even dead _Yrch_.

The road welcomed them again. And as they left the smoked pyre behind them, air seemed to get a little clearer. A wind rose, but it was a wind from the sea. To Akko it seemed to bring to her lips the dryness of salt, and to her ears the echoes of crying seagulls. Who knew what was Lotte doing right then? And Sucy? Surely they would not expect for her to befriend Diana Cavendish!

Maybe Professor Ursula did?

For some reason, the memory of the Professor beckoned that of Shiny Chariot. The Grey Witch had yet to meet them, but then again until then they had managed, one way or another, to manage on their own. Maybe they would meet her later? Maybe not when they were about to die. Yes, that would be the best.

Akko, so lost in these thoughts and more of similar tenor, almost missed the column of white smoke. This one, though, was different.

It rose in the sky with nothing of the horrible smell of _Yrch_ , and in fact it reminded Akko of...

“Wait,” she said, stopping Diana.

“What it is, Akko?” A few days prior, Diana would have huffed and scoffed at Akko's interruption. Now instead her teal eyes only held curiosity and interest.

“There's something I also want to check out,” Akko said, pointing at the white column.

“More pyres? I do not think...”

“No, this is not a pyre. Trust me on this!” Akko dashed towards the trees and the column of white smoke.

“Akko! Wait! You're running too fast! Akko!”

But Akko did not listen. She wanted to make sure... her intuition was right.

And indeed, amidst trees and musk, the sight welcomed her of a small pond, half-covered in vapor. Air was much, much warmer here, and cleaner. It seemed as if someone had left this place just for the two of them. Professor Ursula had spoken of there being more than one Power in the world. Maybe some of them had finally decided they wanted to play nice.

“Oh, Akko...” Diana said behind her as she reached her. “Please do not go on a mad dash like that anymore I...”

Diana stopped the moment she saw the pond.

“Look, Diana! This is the perfect spot!”

Diana blinked.

“The perfect spot for... for what?”

“Oh, it's a tradition in my land!”

“What do you mean? Akko, why are you grinning? Akko, let go of my robes!”

 

-

 

As it turned out, Akko's land was home to some pretty... _worrying_ traditions.

Yet, as Diana had come to know more and more, Akko could be...persuasive.

Still, this was a little too fast for her pace.

Diana was, uhm... bereft of clothing.

At least the water was nice. And between the mist vapour and the fact Diana crouched in the pond, nothing was visible, save for her red face and her hair, hanging all around her like a blonde-green jellyfish.

Water slushed behind her.

“Are you ready? This will be nice, I promise!” Akko's voice said.

She was _not_ ready. Definitely not ready. Diana could think of one dozen thousand lines in her mind that would describe her vulnerable state, and not one of them was good enough.

It all came down to trusting Akko.

Did she trust Akko?

“Yes,” Diana said.

“Good! Here I come!”

Diana had expected... this to be different. Akko's hands felt somewhat coarse on her skin. Weeks of travel had left her dirty, unshaven, unrefined, and by any means not presentable. But Akko's hands were warm over her smooth skin as they passed water all over her back, from the small of it all the way up, opening like a warm, twin flower towards her shoulder-blades, and then coming down again.

It was surprisingly soothing.

“Akko... this feels...”

“Uh, pretty nice I bet! You are so tense! Did your parents not use to wash your back?”

Akko's hands stilled, stopped, froze.

Diana took one long breath through her nose. It was an old wound, and often retraced. Reduced to a white, thin scar by now, at last the most manageable parts of it.

“My mother used to,” Diana replied, soft. Why did it feel so... liberating to tell something like this to Akko? Nobody else had ever... just listened. Sure, Barbara and Hannah did, but Diana had always the suspicion... even if they meant well... they would sooner listen to a Cavendish than a Diana. “When I was very little. Then she... was indisposed. It has been a long time.”

She laughed, as Akko's hands still did not move.

“I did not mean you were supposed to stop, Akko. It does feel soothing. Please continue.”

“Ah, yes,” came Akko's voice from behind. A small pause. “I'm... sorry, Diana. I speak to expose my mouth to the air, at times. I'm sorry. I did not mean... I am just sorry.”

“Worry not,” Diana replied. She slumped slightly forward under Akko's ministrations and the warm water. Ah, a warm bath... how much had she longed for this!

And to have Akko Kagari wash her back... how much had her life changed these past few days! Even the iron box, still hanging from her neck, did not feel so heavy.

“My parents used to do it with me all the time, when I was little. I am a lonely child, so they spoiled me. We would wash each other's backs at the hot springs. I had never seen one ever since I came to Luna Nova! I hope I am not too rusty!”

“Your hands are lovely,” Diana groaned. A little _too_ lovely, in fact. Something was being stirred in her chest, something that Diana had not... not felt in a long time, in fact.

Not like this.

It scared her, and it excited her, like the sight of a precipice.

The heat from her chest, from her stomach, mixed with that from the water.

This was... so soothing. She could get used to this.

Dangerously.

She could get used to Akko's presence in her life.

A fixed presence?

She was not sure.

But in that moment, a warm island in between the ocean of darkness, or the dire mission, the dark days to come, and the responsibilities that still awaited her in her far-away home, Diana Cavendish could melt in Akko's care.

“Diana?”

“Yes, Akko, dear?”

Silence.

Diana retraced her last few words.

“I... yes, Akko, steadfast friend, companion. Please state your business.”

Why was the water so hot all of a sudden?

Akko let out a shivering giggle.

“N-nothing. You are always so formal, it's funny.”

Diana felt an unspoken question hanging, but she let it pass. She did not feel like... making a fool of herself once again.

Such a disgrace! Damn Kagari Atsuko! Damn her foolish traditions, and her skill with the bow, and her words, and her soothing voice, and her long, strong legs, and her unshakable heart!

It was making her life so hard, so confusing!

“Alright, now... it would be your turn, Diana. If you want.”

“My... turn. Yes, I believe... that is to be... expected,” Diana mumbled, still somewhat lost in her own thoughts.

She turned, and she got lost once again, in deep maroon eyes this time.

“That is...” Diana once again mumbled.

Unbidden, as if attracted by some unseen, unknowable force beyond understanding and magic, Diana's left fingers rose, leaving water to brush away a strand of hair from Akko's neck. Her fingers lingered on her cheek.

Diana felt like falling forward.

She blinked.

Stopped.

Steeled herself.

“Please, Akko. If you would... turn back, please.”

Also, Akko did not seem to share her own... modesty.

Not even in cases such as these.

She was... less endowed than Diana. Not less pretty, though. What she had was... fine: round, high and firm, capped by brown points while her own had always been pink. Somewhat out of place, she had always though Akko to be... pink.

Diana shook her head.

All her thoughts were out of place!

Akko did, miraculously, as she was told.

Maybe because she was redder than Diana had ever seen her. Her ears...

And her hair.

And her back.

Akko's back was not at all like her own.

She had a strong, well-defined back. Her muscles danced as if following some odd scripture Diana could not understand with her eyes, but knew her fingers could interpret. Diana's hands rose, sat on Akko's shoulder-blades.

It was the first time she touched her... she touched Akko there.

Akko trembled.

“Akko,” said Diana in a whisper. “Are you fine?”

“Y-yes,” Akko replied, her voice quivering. “It's just... I never though I would do any of this.”

Akko's face as obscured, and Diana just watched her back.

Her beautiful, strong back. The muscles in that back had saved her life.

Diana's hands moved downward.

“I never though I would go on such an adventure. And with you, of all people! I... I, uh I might have hated you a couple times, Diana. Sorry for that. Just wanted to let it out.”

“Worry not,” Diana replied. She fell forward, like strings holding her back had finally been cut. She hugged Akko from behind and her skin was warm and wet under her forehead, and it smelled faintly, of sweat and flowers and whatever other scent that made Akko unique. “Worry not,” Diana repeated, holding Akko even closer. “It is all in the past, now. All in the past. I owe you my life.” A pause. “I owe you my life.”

“Thank you for coming with me,” Diana said at last.

And she spoke no more.

They stood like that for the longest time.

Unlike a bath, the hot spring's water did not cool.

Slowly, Diana began once more to wash Akko's back.

A horribly unrefined, immodest, embarrassing costume from Akko's land, this one.

But if it was Akko, Diana could make an exception.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize profusely for the belated chapter. I would love to come back to a fixed schedule, ad as soon as it will be possible, I will. In the meantime, here you can enjoy FIVE thousand words, longest update yet! And it's full of Akko and Diana and their complicated feelings... I loved writing this scene, and I felt like it could have had easily transitioned into full-blown confession and kissing a steamy (look, Mom! I made a pun!) action, but 1) this is a slow burn 2) I will save the M rating for somehing 'truly' important. This might either be something really dark, as the Nine are approaching, or something really, uh, developed between these two. I am still not sure, but it is likely the dreaded M rating will appear sooner or later.
> 
> As for the rest, I was extremely satisfied with the rest of my projects this year. I completed two novels and one novella, in two languages, and I can see a 2019 even more prolific and satisfying. I might even start publishing online something original! I have a little fantasy project with an interesting female cast...  
> We'll see, if I deem it fun enough.
> 
> In the meantime, merry Christmas once again, and thank you for supporting this story as it grows. I am looking forward to your comments, so please let one. Think of it as a Christmas present... surely Montresor has been good this year?  
> And I already have too much leftover coal from years past.
> 
> See you soon!


	13. XIII - Three directions

Lotte was stuck.

Not in the physical sense, she had just hit a wall in terms of her own research. Even when her begrudging truce with Barbara held, even after the two of them had managed to read every book in the library about magic history, they ended up finding nothing.

“This is all so tiresome,” Barbara moaned, hitting her forehead against a pile of books, drawing soft thuds in the empty library. It was night, and the only light was that of candles, casting soft shadows all around.

Lotte had gotten a little better, that was sure. The darkness that coiled in corners did not sent her into a scattered frenzy anymore, echoes of evil words gnawing at her heart. That evil, overwhelming Will seemed to have left no actual damage on her, at least none that was evident.

It still made her feel uneasy. She scooted a little closer to Barbara. For a moment, Lotte had the impulse to lift her hand and pat the Witch’s dark locks, if only to make her feel a little better. Lotte ignored it. Maybe it was the lack of Akko that made her… think about odd stuff.

Still, Barbara’s defeatist attitude did not help.

“You are taking this too hard,” Lotte tried to say. “If it is not in the library, it must be somewhere else. We only have to look a little bit longer.”

“You have said the same thing four times,” Barbara tiredly replied.

“Well… maybe I have to say it only once more. Maybe we are close. This time. Or the next. We need to keep looking.”

“And while we are looking, Diana is still out there! This mission is much more dangerous than I thought! I would have stopped Diana from going, if I knew!”

Lotte chuckled.

“I do not think anybody here would be able to stop Diana from doing anything, really. Well, maybe Akko. Maybe Akko can.”

“And winter is almost here,” Barbara continued, as if she had not listened to her at all, “and what if their horses get tired, what if they get lost in the snow? What if they need warmer blankets? Oh, Powers! And I can do nothing!”

“Calm down,” Lotte said, not forcefully, but lowering her voice just a tad, just that fraction of a tone that was enough for her to channel the ancient spirit of Pohjola's people. Barbara frowned, stilled, then, letting out a long breath, nodded.

“Yeah. You are right, or at least have more sense than me. But there must be something we can do! We still know nothing about the Enemy, safe for the fact He was cast down! Did nothing survive from those times?”

“I do no think so,” Lotte replied, thinking back to Professor Ursula’s words. Luna Nova teaching staff had tried to keep them safe. It was likely they _did_ possess knowledge about the lingering Will, maybe even knew how to fight it, maybe… defeat it? But they hoarded it, keeping it away from young, impressionable students like her.

Lotte frowned. She was not impressionable.

“Then what do you think?” Barbara asked. Lotte found a silent plight in her eyes, the unspoken demand for Lotte to comfort her, to give her some measure of hope. It seemed for a moment to Lotte to hold the other Witch in her own hands, like a befallen hatchling from a broken branch, chirping and begging for help.

Alright. By the Golden Mill, maybe she _was_ a little impressionable.

Amidst warmer cheeks – why was there heat around her face? It was not supposed to be there! – Lotte balled her fists.

“I think that the knowledge we need exists, but it was hidden. Hidden in some deep dark place.”

“Here at Luna Nova?”

“Yes. If it was somewhere else, part of the staff would go there to protect it. It makes sense.”

Slowly, Barbara nodded. A newfound respect seemed to inkle in her eyes, and Lotte had to bit softly on her lip, not to become too distracted by her expression.

“Then, how can we find it? I can contact my family, they are old, established… not like the Cavendish, but…”

“No, no,” Lotte said immediately, waving her hands. “No! We must keep a low profile! I do not want teaching staff to start suspecting something, and…” Lotte frowned as the room seemed to grow closer, and darker, and colder. “And I do not want to… risk… drawing attention.”

“How… how was it?” Barbara asked. Lotte blinked, and she was back in the library.

“What?”

“The… encounter. Was it painful?”

Barbara, unbidden, did the last gesture Lotte could have had expected. She put one of her hands atop her own. It took a moment to Lotte to understand that that warm, comforting thing did indeed belong to Barbara and was not some figment of her imagination, an after-effect of Sucy’s concoctions, or had been conjured out of this air.

Once again that heat upon her cheeks. Wise Witch of Pohjola, this was embarrassing!

But then Barbara’s question caught up to Lotte, and she longed for that moment of warmth. Lotte did not withdraw her hand.

“It was painful. It was… it was like falling into a deep dark mouth. It… sorry. I do not think it is too wise to speak about it.”

“No, I… I ought to be more refined myself,” Barbara replied, sighing. Her hand felt so warm upon Lotte’s. A comforting reminder she was not alone. Not anymore. “I always know how to behave when Diana is around, but right now… I feel like walking on thin ice.”

Lotte winced. A memory of her own mind, her own will, shrieking like shattering ice, under the Will.

She had lasted but a breath.

“Lotte.”

“Ah. Eh?”

“You were shaking. Sorry, I won’t ask any more questions.”

“N-no, it’s alright.” Lotte managed to smile. “It is true it was terrible. But I am not made of glass! I can deal with it. I just need time.”

Barbara nodded. She did not seem like she wanted to ask any more questions.

She hoped their truce held. Their words felt like ill-fitting clothes, but they had managed to find some middle ground. Barbara was actually quite the focused, driven person. She did not care for the entire world, but those people she did decide to care for were always forefront to her mind. Lotte always felt a little scatterbrained. Maybe if she spent more time with the black-haired Witch she could learn how to be a little more focused herself.

“What I am trying to say,” Lotte replied at the end, tracing back to her previous statements, “is that whatever info we need is probably well-hidden. Inside information, so to speak. We are going to need a certain figure to get it out. We are going to need a burglar.”

 

-

 

They were close to Westerndale. Akko could feel it. Woods all around them were still dark and cold, but it was more like the normal cold of incoming winter. No evil will spoke treacherous words in the wind, and she had not felt that panicky urge to defend herself with magic anymore. After being almost eaten by wolves, it was a welcomed change.

Next to her, Diana also seemed lost in her thoughts. And more relaxed, though. She had… become warmer these last few days. Especially since Akko had shared with her the ancient tradition of back-washing! That had been a blast. Who knew that Diana Cavendish could have such a sweet side?

She was almost... cute.

It was like it had been hidden somewhere, beneath all those golden ringlets, shaded by those aqua eyes… in fact, Diana was quite pleasant to look at. Akko had no idea of the reason, but every time she let her gaze wander to the right, and the blonde Witch entered it, she felt a sense…she could not define it.

It was like coming back home after a storm, like exiting a cold shower and wrapping herself in the warmest wool, it was like watching the fireworks in her own distant land, all together, and more. Were those fireworks in Diana’s eyes? Who could say?

She for one would certainly be interested in finding out.

And thus Akko kept looking.

Even when Diana crossed her eyes, and shied her gaze away. For some reason her cheeks always turned a little redder when that happened.

Must be the cold! Thankfully they would reach Westerndale soon, and then… then they could get some respite. Maybe another bath!

And maybe, thought Akko as she settled the weight on her shoulders, maybe she could fashion herself a new bow, or even repair her own…

“You’re welcome,” Akko blurted out all of a sudden.

Diana blinked.

“I beg your pardon?”

“For, you know, the other night. Helping you with that wolf. And washing your back. And being here with you. You’re welcome. I am happy too.”

“Ah.” A quick cloud of winter breath escaped Diana’s lips. “I am glad. These have been… surprising days for me. I had my eyes opened, in more than a way.”

“You can say that!” Akko elbowed her. “So, what are you thinking? You are always thinking so much!”

Diana gave her that secret smile of her, that half-smile that spoke so much of unsaid things, the one who made her curious and pushed her heart a little faster – Odd! Who knows why? – the one that seemed made just for Akko alone.

“I am afraid I do not entertain merry thoughts, Akko. I think of the task ahead. Of the leagues that separate us from the White Witch, and of the Enemy, of course, and the part we play into all this.”

Akko kicked a small pebble off the road.

“I think that if I can meet Shiny Chariot, this mission is going to be worth it. Other than becoming friends with you, of course!”

“Ah. Of course,” Diana answered. There was something in her eyes Akko could not truly understand, so she distracted herself for a moment, looking upwards, to the overcast sky. The wind carried thin blades of cold. The white of clouds punctured by the frames of the forest, like an immobile explosion of needles.

“Anything else other than meeting Shiny Chariot?” Diana asked after a few more moments. Was there a strange note of uncertainty in her voice? Akko was not sure. Maybe she just did not eat enough. She could cook another rabbit for the two of them, maybe.

Ah, but Diana had asked her a question.

She had to stay focused.

“I don’t know,” Akko answered after a few more minutes of silence. “I wonder how Lotte and Sucy are faring back home. I hope Sucy is not dead with boredom and Lotte is doing well… I have to write them! Hope they received my message, the one I left with the merchant!”

Diana slowly nodded.

“I think I will write to Hannah and Barbara as well. I do miss them, and they do tend to fly into blind panic at regular intervals, bereft of my presence. They do scatter like a flight of doves. Most unsightly.”

Akko snickered.

“What?”

“I could listen to you for _days_.”

Diana blinked again. Something shifted in her gaze, something that Akko had only seen maybe once. Red bloomed all over her face as a foreshadowing of spring.

“You have such… a spontaneous way of expressing your feelings, Akko.”

“Yep! That’s me!” Akko replied. For whatever reason, Diana only groaned and shook her head.

Silence came back between them. It was the comfortable silence that had grown to fill the void that used to separate them. Akko was starting to like that silence.

“Wolves and _Yrch_. The Nine on the move. Will we make it, Akko?” The last question was more of a whisper than anything else, but to Akko it was clear. She walked in a little closer.

Diana was warm. Warmer than she expected.

“Of course we are going to make it! I am going to get a new bow, and you are _Diana Cavendish_! We are going to make it for sure.”

“A Cavendish. How could I forget,” Diana replied, a tone of bitter in her voice.

“Did I… say something bad?”

“Perish the thought, Akko. No, no, I just come from an ancient and complicated family. And there are a few domestic matters that would require my attention, and soon. It might be the present mission will bring me to face them sooner than I expect, or wish to.”

“Hey,” Akko said once again. “I don’t want to see you so serious anymore! You are always so… so… how do you say it when one is serious all the time, but not because she’s angry, or because she’s sad, or…”

“Stern? Somber? Ponderous?”

“Ponderous, yes! Thank you. You are always so ponderous! Stop it. We’re on the road, and we’re together, and this is going to be fine.”

A long moment of silence.

At last, Diana smiled again. That half-smile, the secret one, the one that make Akko want to stop and look deep into Diana’s eyes, and see why she was smiling like that at her. The smile that made her heart pump faster.

Were Diana’s eyes always so clear and deep?

“Then I will stop be ponderous, if that will improve your mood, Akko, and mine as well.”

“Good!” Akko said, pumping her fist. Another victory for her team!

They proceeded like that, in silence and suspended in the thin lines of warmth connecting them.

The sky turned white. Bit by bit, wind picked up, and began to scatter white speckles of snow.

“Ah, the first snow of winter,” Akko said, touching a snowflake. She frowned. “I should have packed gloves.”

“I had a pair in… in my old bags,” Diana replied. Her eyes shifted, left and right. Akko was reminded of her own reactions when her mind battled between possible answers on a test, unsure about which one to take.

And then Diana took her hand.

“Here,” Diana said. “It is not much, but it will keep at least one of our hands warm.”

Akko looked down at the soft hand, the soft hand that belonged to Diana. Diana Cavendish, who was holding her hand.

The world pivoted, pirouetted and settled itself. Akko’s head stopped spinning only after a long time.

But she never stopped grinning.

 

-

 

Professor Ursula galloped in the night, a single, tiny flame, tracing a line of light and fire in an oily ocean of darkness. Unheard voices wailed at her tail, speaking of failures. Whispers reached her ears, reminding her of how useless all of it was.

And claws coiled around her heart.

She had failed once already.

She would fail again.

Harder.

And two innocents would pay for her mistakes.

“We shall not fail,” she replied through gritted teeth. She pushed her horse forward. A flame sparked from the tip of her staff. She lifted her sword high.

“Hear me, craven enemy of the world! I may walk in a darkened vale, but my heart stays true! And by the Seven Stars and the Seven Words, we shall see the Silver Tree renewed!”

Echoes of a thunderous, mocking laughter seemed to reach for her.

Ursula cast aside her mantle. And lo! beneath it her clothes seemed to shimmer and change, and she was covered in reds and blue, and the flame atop her staff rose into a white shining beacon of light, and the howling darkness all seemed to coil from the deep bowels of the mountains to raise to her challenge, but she did not bend, and rose faster and truer still, all the more imposing for being surrounded by blackness.

Shiny Chariot rode again.

And ride she did, into the night, and the Enemy’s Will followed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has been a while, has it not?  
> I truly hope you are enjoying this piece. Thank you for sticking with me, even after all these months. Thank you for your warming, amazing comments. I read each and every single one of them.
> 
> Now, a few news. I finished moving, and am currently in the process of dealing with some real life stuff. Exams, changing jobs, making my own job, the usual stuff.  
> I also am planning what to write and publish in this year (I have a pretty good idea!) and there's some bad new and good news... 
> 
> Bad news is that I won't be able, for the foreseeable future, to come back to my comfy three-times-a-week update. I have hundreds of thousands of words to put down in the next few months and not all of them are going to be about cute witches doing cute things, sadly.  
> Still. The good news is that, with most of the heavy stuff out of the way I can tentatively strike for a Saturday regular release. I'd like to keep this fic going, and I am eager to let you see where the tale ends. So please stick with me, as we are going to go places. 
> 
> Hope you found that first inkling of Lotte/Barbara satisfying? I am trying to show a bit of a developing relation. And Diana is getting... a little bolder. Who knows where this will bring them?  
> That said, please let me know your thoughts with a comment. Hope you had fund with this new chapter. Hugs, and thank you for being here.


	14. XIV - Fireworks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mix of sweet and sour, perhaps?

  _Almost there_. That had been the thought, repeated countless times, running in circles in Diana’s mind as they approached the hills giving way to Westerndale. _Almost there_.

At least, winter was milder than in the forest. Dimtide lake allowed to retain a semblance of warmth. There were even a few, red leaves on the trees as they followed the road. Soon they could recover. Master Hanbridge was not known for his hospitality, nor was he particularly fond of Witches, but even in these troubled times, the name Cavendish opened doors.

They would get some respite, a warm bath, new clothes and horses… they could do this. The weight of the iron box, in the past few hours seemingly grown to that of a rock, eased as Diana let her imagination run wild. Ah, looking at the Dimtide and Westerndale reflected in its waters… waiting for Akko to get ready, the two of them enjoying a bit of free time, together, beyond fear and darkness…

She could also finally write to Barbara and Hannah. Those two must be scared half to death by now.

And still her thoughts came back to Akko. Who could have known, all those weeks before, when she still used to call her _Kagari_ , that Diana would actually _look forward_ to spending time with her in Westerndale?

She had figured their stay as brief, uneventful, boring and even a bit annoying, given the presence of Akko.

Now… already Diana bit her lip at the thought of how shortly they would be forced to depart again. The peace they longed for would only last a moment.

Still… it would be a pleasure to spend it with Akko. And not just because she had saved her life, though that made Diana feel in debt, confused, and even a little worried at the thought of what she could _ever_ do to repay Akko in tow. No, walking next to the brown-haired girl had warmed up Diana in a way she never could have thought possible. She now saw what Lotte and Sucy had, and she envied them for it. They spent so much time with her these last few years!

Enemy or not, she would find time to spend with Akko Kagari.

They had camped in a small clearing, downwind. Akko had heard some strange noise that day, and, especially after last time, was not taking any chances. Not after seeing all those piles of burnt _Yrch_.

“There!” Exclaimed Akko, pumping up her fist as she blew on the fledgling fire she had lit, using little more than leaves, twigs, and a few pieces of strings. “Just as I used to do with Father,” she muttered. Her maroon eyes – or where they? Diana seemed to never catch the colour straight these days. She better keep looking, just to make sure – shifted to look at Diana, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks.

“Oh, sorry.”

Diana let herself fall next to Akko, on a log they had put down in front of the fire.

“May I know the reason for your sudden concern?”

“No, it’s just… I was… I keep talking about Father, when…” Akko wrung her hands.

Diana put her own atop Akko’s.

“Akko, dearest, bravest Akko,” Diana replied, her voice shaking just the tiniest bit, “worry not. Not when you are with me. Not any more, please. I wish for the rest of this journey to be as safe as possible, and this also requires you to trust me.”

“I do trust you!”

The fire’s warmth seemed to rise to lick at her cheeks. Diana slowly nodded.

Such a troublesome girl, Akko Kagari. Always interrupting her, with her honest eagerness…

“What I mean, Akko… do not think of me as made of glass. Once again: please speak your mind truly.”

Akko’s eyes shifted left and right, still wringing her hands, like she always did when she did not manage to lift her broom from the ground or one of the Professors announced a test. Back at the Academy, Diana had always been frustrated by that look. All the unexpressed potential that Akko kept inside herself, kept from shining by her fumbling, her short fuse, her lack of patience…

Maybe it had been the school environment itself. Akko seemed to do a lot better on her own, without Professors to grade her or schoolmates to scold her. And she had been at least partially responsible for that last one…

“I am sorry for speaking like that,” Akko said at last, her voice a whisper. “I kept thinking about it. About… what you said. I am sorry.”

Old, scratchy thoughts fought to crawl up Diana’s back and reach for her ears, whisper cruel, wintery words inside her heart. She scattered them aside. At another time, she might have used her discipline to rein in her thoughts, but these days the simple presence of Akko was enough to dispel most of her bad thoughts.

“It was…” Diana began, before finding out that, in fact, too many words might be wasted on this topic. “I appreciate your concern. I spoke about… my loss at a tense moment, and I might have exaggerated the grief. It was a long time ago, Akko. An old wound, and it resurfaces at times, but it is gone.” Diana shrugged, her smile taking a brief turn for the bitter. “The departure of Mother was in many a respect a messier affair.”

It was Akko’s turn to hold her hands, now.

“Wait! I am sorry about that, too! You should not… it should not happen to anyone, not like that, and not when you are such a brave, pretty and amazing Witch! And an amazing person, to boot! Diana, I…” Akko’s words seemed to have caught up with her brain, because she stopped, her mouth hanging open for a moment, and she was in fact _so_ close, her body leaning towards Diana, her hands holding her own… it was as if the world had shifted, knowing nothing of witchery and war, and only the two of them existed, in the space between their breaths.

They blinked.

Akko withdrew her hands, moving her body away from Diana.

Diana’s hands longed for that contact once again, but Akko was keeping them in her lap, and did not allow her gaze to leave the fire, this time.

“Thank you for your words,” Diana said at last, in a diplomatic attempt.

Akko just nodded.

Silence came back.

They stood like that, sitting in front of the fire, two columns delimiting a space.

An unknown space, an uncharted territory that they had only begun exploring when Akko had stopped calling her _Cavendish_ and Diana had stopped calling her _Kagari_. It was limitless and boundless and scary, scarier than the Enemy himself, in a way.

Ever since that night in the tower… it had been like both of them had been broken up and remade, anew and whole.

“My family history is most complicated, Akko,” Diana commented, trying to come back to that uncharted place, guiding slowly Akko towards it. “Even now if I could, I would forget Professor Ursula’s mission, and leave for my home. Ah, Powers, I will, if things truly turn dire. It used to be the last homely house, the Cavendish manor.”

“I am coming with you,” Akko stated. It was not a request, nor was it forced, like a demand. It was a matter of fact, said in the time of a sigh.

“I do realize now I told you too much,” Diana replied, but could not stop the smile tugging at her lips. “I made you worry for me, did I not? How foolish of me. In trying to soothe your doubts, I created a larger one.”

“Yeah, something like that, could not really put into words like that,” replied Akko, her eyes still focused on the fire. “You should not be alone, you know? Nobody should be alone. That is the reason…” Akko paused for a moment, chuckled. “Might as well tell you the entire story. I mean, come on, now, we’re friends, are we not?”

Akko’s eyes– maroon, and with speckles of red and gold where the reflected sparks danced - moved from the fire towards Diana, and she had to remind her own heart to pump.

“Yes,” answered Diana in one swift breath. “We are friends, Akko.”

“I’m glad,” Akko shifted once again closer to Diana, let her head touch her shoulder, hesitantly at first, then, when she saw Diana did not shy away from contact, smiled again. “I would have wanted that since the first day, you know? I remember seeing you for the first time.” A chuckle. “I thought you were a real Witch. I mean, all the Professors are real Witches, and Professor Ursula, she’s the best, really! And I can’t wait to meet the White Witch, she’s going to be something! And of course Shiny Chariot is just the best and I am rambling again, am I not?”

“I would say it was not unpleasant, and most amusing” Diana gallantly conceded. “But you were trying to make a point, were you not? And I would be honoured to hear it.”

“Yes, yes, I was saying, you looked _amazing_ , and I wanted to know you, to… learn from you, maybe, a thing or two, or seven. I am sorry I messed that up.”

“Oh, Akko, sweetest Akko, that was my own mistake!” Diana, feeling bold, moved her left hand to cover Akko’s shoulder. “I misunderstood you, for years in fact, until that fateful night. I always thought you were just trying to impress your peers, putting little to no thought to where your true abilities rested. It annoyed me to no end, and I admit, in my urge to push you to be better, I ended up causing a worse situation than what I tried to remedy. The fault here lies mostly with me.”

“How about we split it,” Akko said. “Half for you, half for me. Better this way. We can come back to a fresh start! Uhm, I mean, another one. Fresher.”

“I would…” Diana shook her head slightly, amazed. How could this girl just forgive her, all her misgivings? These past few days dark thoughts had amassed in Diana’s heart. How much had she stunted Akko’s growth, due to her inability to understand her? And now…

“You would?”

Diana saw panic in Akko’s eyes. Maybe she had felt her head shake and believed it to be a refusal.

“I would! I would be extremely grateful for such an agreement, Akko, dearest! But how can you just forgive my misgivings?” She had behaved in such a terrible fashion… was she truly better than Daryl?

Akko shrugged.

“It’s not like I... It’s that it’s not practical. I do not want to hold a grudge. It’s tiring. I would prefer to have a clean slate with my newest friend!”

“I…” for the first time ever since she had felt the very presence of the Enemy press against her mind, Diana was speechless.

She laughed.

“Akko Kagari! May your heart be blessed, thrice blessed! I would gladly accept your boon, and do the best I can from now on to truly deserve it!”

Diana replied. Truly prophetic words, as they would soon find out.

“Then it is decided,” Akko replied, giving her words a solemn turn. “I do acceptheth thee as my friend, Diana Cavendish,” she said with an airy gesture. “Never be thee besee… bechee… bisect…”

“Bereft?”

“Bereft! Bereft of my friendship! And stuff. Finally.” Akko let out a small giggle. “Took long enough.”

This new space between them was so frightening.

Fragile, and untested. And yet it was so warm. Akko’s head resting on her shoulder felt like home. Diana Cavendish, who had always wanted to carry alone the tremendous weight her family and her bloodline had set upon her shoulders, felt some of that weight release.

Her hand left Akko’s shoulder to touch her locks. Even this far from a bath and warm water, they were smooth, silk-like, soothing.

Following the invisible thunder of Diana’s heartbeat, Akko spoke again.

“I always liked the fire. But I think I already told you that. Have you ever seen fireworks, Diana?”

The casual sweetness with which Akko pronounced her name cut her breath in two, but Diana recovered in time to answer.

“Only once. I was very little.”

It was part of her complicated feelings towards the Grey Witch.

“It is a tradition in my land, but even so… every time the Grey Witch visited us it was such a special occasion! Once she brought this one, it was red, and shiny, and huge, and when it exploded it turned into a giant dragon that flew towards the ground, roaring like this, _rrrrhaaaahhh_!”

It was such a strange experience. The sky was overcast, and no stars shone in it. They seemed to have all collected inside Akko’s eyes, like dew upon the first day of spring.

“That was the moment when I decided I wanted to use magic to warm people’s hearts. To make them explode in joy and wonder like that dragon. Like the Grey Witch did with me.”

Diana was silent. She was a little more preoccupied with her own thoughts.

“Thank you for sharing this with me, Akko,” Diana said at last. “It must be such a wonderful memory.”

“It is,” Akko agreed. “It’s like a small ember. I take it out when I am sad, and then I am not so sad anymore.”

“Oh, Akko.” Diana hugged her a little closer. Akko’s breath was so close. Her friend. Her new friend. “I am so blessed in having you here, now.”

“Uhm. I feel a little blessed too. Being here with you. I mean. Who would have thought!”

“Not in a thousand years,” was the soft reply coming from Diana’s lips. “Never would have Diana Cavendish found so much happiness in being wrong!” Diana stopped. Akko was looking at her strangely again. “Something the matter, Akko?”

“Ah, no, it’s uh-nothing…” Akko fidgeted. “I was just thinking the fire is nice, that’s all.”

“It is indeed very nice. Thank you for taking care of it.”

“Yes… we’ll have to douse it, though… it is not… safe…” Akko said, yawning. “Sorry. I am a bit tired. Adventures are tiring.” Another short pause, then Akko asked one more question. “About your family… there’s so much I don’t know, right?”

“That would be… an understatement, yes.”

“When you want to talk about it, please do it, Diana. You are…” another yawn, “… not alone in this.”

“I promise I will think about it,” Diana replied, and her heart was soothed, though in all truth she had no wish to have Akko anything to do with what remained of her family. Not just pride spoke: it was a dangerous matter, in a way more dangerous than their current mission. Diana moved her left hand beneath the light mail, touching the iron box. The sooner they could deliver this, the better. The White Witch would know what to do. She had not heard about the White Witch as much as she knew about the Grey one, for a variety of reasons, but all tales in accord lauded her knowledge and wisdom. Troubles would pass from small hands into larger ones, and Diana would be allowed to come back, at least for a while, into her Diana shoes, instead of the large, rigid Cavendish boots she was currently wearing. Not that they helped that much.

Magic or no magic.

Enemy or no Enemy.

She had much thinking to do.

And with Akko next to her, and the warmth provided by the  crackling, happy fire, and the soft echoes of Akko’s resting breaths, and the softness of her hair, for many long hours Diana forgot all about witchery and peril and the hideous things crawling out of disgusting holes in the mountains.

But those did not forget about the two of them.

Diana blinked. Her head swam for a moment.

What had happened?

She must have dozed off. Akko’s head rested on her lap, a tiny drop of drool hanging from her opened mouth as she slept.

Something had changed.

The fire had almost died, so that only a faint glow of embers reddened shadows, carved out trees from the encroaching darkness.

From above, the shadow of the Moon had moved in the overcast sky. They had plunged deep into the heart of night, and an ill wind seemed to have roused from the East, carrying the stench of dead leaves, upturned roots, and… something else, something that stung Diana’s nostrils, a bad smell that reminded her of rotting meat.

Her heart jumped in her throat.

They had been careless… once again, lulled by the presence of fire and each other… it did not mean that in the lack of the Enemy’s presence they were safe.

“Akko,” Diana whispered, “Akko. Wake up, please.”

“Nnnnh, a few more minutes, Lotte,” she replied.

“Akko.” Diana shook her awake.

“Nnnhaa?” Akko blinked, took in a long breath, and started. She was suddenly awake, focused. “Diana… the fire.”

“I know,” Diana answered. “I dozed off. I forgot to take it out.”

“Do it now. There’s… something…”

Diana collected stones and gravel and dust from the road and threw it on the fire, slowly choking the remaining embers. They were now in utter darkness, all the deeper due to their eyes not yet being used to it.

But there were other things, all around them, that the darkness knew well, that the darkness had molded in lost years, hollowing them out and filling them with ceaseless rage and bloodlust and cunning cruelty.

And those things must have taken the dousing of the fire as a signal, for from the encroaching night came echoes of high cackles, and horrible thumping of clawed feet. All around them they descended.

“Damn,” Akko swore, taking out her bow and cocking an arrow. “Behind me, Diana. Back against the tree. Don’t move.”

“I… can I help?”

“Do you have anything besides magic?”

She did, but it was collecting dust in a crypt in Cavendish manor. How foolish of her not to bring it to Luna Nova.

The laughter, mad with bloodlust and desire for carnage, collected in thin ecstatic whispers.

A dozen hisses seemed to draw from the night.

A familiar sound.

The sound that Akko’s bow made as she drew on its string.

It was the decision of a moment.

Diana’s hand left her side and wrapped around her wand.

Her fingers trembled for an instant, hesitated.

Around her, darkness seemed to coil, answering a call.

She shouted in a high clear voice, tracing an arc. Sparks flew from the tip of her wand.

A shining green-blue dome enveloped them both.

Arrows came, thundered against the dome, impacted, were knocked down in a repeated noise like softly clapping hands.

And Diana felt that _presence_ again, faint, far-away, but roused, nonetheless. It had been like calling onto a savage pack of hounds, like spilling blood into murky waters. The Enemy had felt it, and the shuddering of His Will recoiled all the way to Diana’s hand.

She let go of magic. The dome disappeared.

But they were safe for now. She only had to get Akko and run. Run, to Westerndale.

Akko… who…

Who lay limp against the tree, a black arrow sticking from her body like a statement against nature and everything that was good and true.

Diana had not been quick enough.

 

-

 

It had felt it.

In the middle of the forest, the black figure resting atop the horse lifted its head. A low hiss drew in from its hooded head, sniffing, feeling for something.

The trace.

Cavendish.

And the figure rose in its stirrups, unsheathed its sword and let out a long, high-pitched shriek that seemed to echo in the land and darken it, so that the light of the Moon was like a corpse-light, and from all around other shrieks answered, eight of them.

Cavendish.

It was close.

And yet, the figure seemed to hesitate for the tiniest amount of time. The traces of the Grey one’s passage were stark. Cavendish’s were farther, and fainter.

But between the two, Cavendish would prove the bigger threat.

The black rider turned westward.

And filled with the Will of their Master, the Nine galloped into the night, shrieking, eager.

Ever closer, now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uuuh, whoever thought I would give you another sweet chapter without a little scare mixed in, please raise your hand. Nobody? Guessed as much.  
> Ah, yes, so many things are coming to fruition right now. The story is finally letting go of its infancy and running into adulescence. Many of its key players are set and it is now time for the main attraction to start... swordfighting!  
> I jest. Of course I mean the shipping. The slow burn has been real, and a great fun to write. They are still only 'friends', though the attraction is there and I do believe both Akko and Diana starkly feel it, though they will need time to act upon it, and maybe a push or two... who knows? You, if you stick around.
> 
> On this regard, a note. I have decided, and I will have to definitely bump the rating up to M or even E in the future, precisely due to the developing of Akko and Diana's relationship. I was a little reluctant, as I want their relationship to develop organically, but I did not aged them to 19 for no reason, either. This will take a bit of time, but, just like with that bathing scene... please wait, your author will deliver.  
> Oh...this is going to be some ride.
> 
> I also want to once more thank you all who bookmarked, left a comment, a kudo or even just read this story.Thank you for your support, it is truly amazing to me and I try to bring you the best I can, with some precise schedule from now, may the Powers help me. 
> 
> If you so wish, please leave a comment. They are a great help and truly a boon, I read and re-read them when I am down and help me through my day. 
> 
> That said, please look forward to more next Saturday! Thank you!


	15. XV - Flight to Westerndale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh, dear.

For the longest moment, Diana just stood there, the wand useless in her hand, just as useless as the entirety of her training, her talent, her bloodline and her efforts, and mocked by the echoing, faint, oily laughter that seemed to haunt her ears like tendrils of smoke.

Akko’s eyes looked upon the arrow, the fingers of her right hand tentatively leaving her bow, which cluttered to the ground. She winced as they came closer.

“No,” Diana whispered, who knows if to herself, to the arrow or to Akko, as her fingers closed around Akko’s hand. “No. Do not touch it. It will only get worse.”

Cackles answered them from the darkness. Excited cackles, excited at the smell of blood, like cawing ravens, growing ever more restless with lust for rape and pillage and worse things.

Diana only had an instant to decide.

It had found them. Again. _Yrch_ might not be dangerous threat if taken alone, but alone they were not, and worse things than _Yrch_ would be soon following them. It was a decision between throwing the two of them into a frying pan or inside the fire, and, had it been only her, and only her fate which hang in the balance, Diana would have taken the obvious choice.

“Come,” she said, and, dropping the wand to her side, she arched it then in a flash of light as she helped Akko raise on her feet. “Come! Walk!” Then Diana closed her eyes for a moment, and reached inside her, for the kernel of power that belonged to an older theme than the magic they taught her in Luna Nova, a theme that had run through her family for untold generations, a theme that connected all Cavendish to their roots, to the Olden Witch herself, Beatrix the Kind.

It was a grain of pulsing blue-white light, like reflected comets upon the shore. And Diana unveiled it, and it shone upon her right hand.

“Begone!” She cried out in a high clear voice. And the Night all around them paused, and stood still, like a predator who sees their mark rise in retaliation, and is consumed, if only for an instant, by doubt. “Begone, crooked creatures, vomited by mud and darkness. Go back to your holes. For here there is one who will not hesitate, if you take one step forward!”

Silence answered her.

And one moment later, the oily darkness all around her pushed in, from all sides, and Diana felt like being plunged into deep dark murky waters. They seemed to cover her and enter through her eyes, and mouth, and ears. Diana cried out and shouted, as cruel whispered seemed to wriggle right under the black waves, ever closer, ever clearer, words of contempt that would soon reach for her…

But something else reached for her.

It was warm, and it seemed to emit a faint, and yet clear glow in the darkness.

It was Akko’s hand, upon her shoulder.

It was Akko’s breath.

It was reminding her she was not alone. And she was not fighting just for herself.

Diana blinked, and the darkness was pushed back. Not dispelled, but it left her enough time and sanity to see Akko was still next to her, a tentative smile upon her beautiful face, and she held her hand in her own, and, really, this was what she had trained her whole life, was it not? Forget exams and teachings, forget her own pride and long history. This was her real trial, and she would not fail a second time.

Diana lifted her wand.

Just in time.

From all around misshapen creatures revealed themselves in the faint light cast by Diana’s wand.

Akko whimpered at their sight.

For there are shapes and forms that are too wrong to not make one recoil in fear, and from those broken, tumoral limbs only came, clear, desire to bite and tear and feast.

But Diana was ready.

She lifted her wand, and, holding Akko’s hand, she pushed back against the darkness, once again, but this time… this time just enough. She reached once more for magic, for her own and that which had been taught her, and she shouted.

“ _Murowa_!”

And once again, she proved the name Cavendish proud.

A flash of green, like a thunder bereft of storm, fell between trees, casting them out in clear relief from the surrounding darkness, and each of the dozens of _Yrch_ surrounding them seemed still, like a statue. Earth bellowed out in a great rumbling bellow, and the creatures were all cast aside, launched upwards and against the trees and rocks by the explosion and the wrath of Diana.

A thin filament of smoke rose from the tip of Diana’s wand. The tip cracked and fell to the ground.

“Kindest Beatrix,” Diana muttered at her wand.

“Were you supposed… not to…” muttered Akko.

“Yes. I do know.” Diana looked at her. “I do feel His Will, pushing against mine, beckoning me to give in to despair. I almost did, again. But you were holding me, and I was holding you, and that gave me time enough to cast that one spell.” Diana waved her wand, and another piece of the three-pronged tip cracked. “But I am afraid the shock was too strong for my poor wand.”

“I need my bow. I can…”

“Not with your shoulder like that.”

“Then what do we do?”

Diana sat her wand in its holster. It could, maybe, with the Enemy’s Will set against her, cast one more spell. Maybe. Just another.

“We run,” Diana replied. She took Akko in her arms – and inwardly thanked her own discipline for regular exercise – and lifted her, and set her against her back.

“Diana… you can’t carry me like that!”

“It is not the time to worry about your non-existent modesty!”

Against her neck, Diana felt Akko’s skin grow warm.

“Ah! I was not… it’s just… you’ll get tired!”

“I will,” Diana said, tossing one last look behind her. She had got a few _Yrch_ with her spell. They lay on the ground, unmoving. But a few were blinking, and their fanged mouth opened, once again, and their red eyes moved towards her. “Let us hope I last until Westerndale.”

Diana turned, and ran.

 

-

 

Ursula had felt it, too. Too strong, to pass under the nose of a Witch, not to mention one of her caliber. Cavendish. And Akko, presumably. They were close, closer than she had feared, farther than she had hoped.

And it was now time for Ursula to demonstrate her quality. She rode between trees, she jumped over a small river in one quick dash.

The air was tense with the Will of the Enemy. Not focused on her anymore, and not wrestling with the far-away mind in the South that had kept part of It so occupied. It had felt her, now. Cavendish. And it was just due to dumb luck that the Will still considered Cavendish the dangerous one.

But there was no time for congratulating herself on her plan. Other things were approaching. Nine of them.

Ursula gritted her teeth against the terrible amount of her own folly.

Even the entire teaching staff of Luna Nova would not go against the Nine, united under their cruel Captain. No, not even backed by the Grey and the White Witch.

The time when they could challenge the Enemy by strength alone was long past, and Ursula was surely not strong enough.

And still, she persisted.

There. She was close, now. The air chilled, and it seemed to want and reach inside her clothes and grasp her heart. Ursula gasped, but kept on going.

The Nine had to be stopped. Or at least slowed down, hindered.

She rode out of the trees. In front of her, the naked plains, the overcast Moon glancing like a boiled egg, forgotten and useless. Whatever silver light it used to cast seemed like a forgotten memory. The plain was bathed in a milky light, more akin to the glow of fungus inside a cave than the light of the heavens.

And amidst that feeble light, black shapes appeared. Like holes, darker than the darkest black.

They rode, and the echoes of their shrieks ran across Ursula’s back like iron nails.

And yet, she persisted.

She galloped, and reached for the group of black shapes as they rode west.

They gathered around the tallest one, slowed down, and stopped, turning their heads towards her.

Now, in any other situation, Ursula would have preferred a subtler approach.

But there would be time for subtle later, if she survived.

Ursula lifted her staff.

“ _Diphulaniado_!” She shouted.

The night parted.

Darkness and air alike shattered like and old veil, broken with the utmost ease.

Azure light was all that existed, for an instant. And the instant later, cracked earth rained all around her, pebbles hitting her hat. Her horse whinnied and kicked the air. Ursula had to pat it on the side to calm it down as the earth groaned like a giant hit in its underbelly.

And for a moment, she allowed herself to hope.

The tip of her staff smoked as she waited for her eyes to get used to the normal light again.

She had managed to cast the spell, unimpeded, as the Will of the Enemy was still set on others. Maybe.

Just maybe, with the advantage of surprise…

Then the clouds of dust parted, and nine shadows looked at her, standing tall, unhindered. Their horses had not been as lucky and lay broken on the shattered earth.

Ursula panted. It would not be so easy, would it?

And then the Will of the Enemy was once again upon her, pushing her back, deep into the darkness.

Ursula shuddered, but managed to stand tall and unbowed.

“Your battle is with me,” she said. “You battle with me tonight. You will not reach your mark.”

The only answer was nine swords hissing as they were unsheathed.

As one, the Hollow Kings walked towards her.

Ursula unsheathed her own sword. Alone, it shone white in the cruel night.

 

-

 

Diana’s lungs burned. She had liked to boast her own athleticism, but it had been a moot point, in the end. If anything, the Will of the Enemy had somewhat lifted it gaze. Still, the cackles and shrill laughter and cries hunting her had not abated, and were growing closer and closer still.

“It is a shame,” Akko whimpered from behind her. Diana stumbled, almost fell, hit a tree, grazed her knee. Ignored the pain. There it was. She felt the wind, the dampness in the air. The far-away glint of moonlight upon a white tower. They had almost reached Westerndale. They could reach the gates. Ask for help. They were almost there.

“It’s a shame,” Akko repeated.

Arrows whizzed behind Diana. One grazed against her arm, and she cried out, and ignored the pain, and ran and ran and yelled and stopped as they reached a ravine.

No.

Diana looked left, looked right. Only trees and rocks, and the glinting of the lake below, as if in mockery.

For a moment, she thought about trying it.

But it was too high, at least six paces. She would break a bone, or two, or worse.

Arrow thudded behind her, biting the ground. For now.

“We had even become friends,” Akko chuckled.

“It is not over, Akko,” Diana replied. Gently, she put Akko on the ground behind her.

If she let the _Yrch_ come closer, she could… she could take them all out in one go.

She could. Her wand would be able to sustain another spell.

Diana looked at the tip. Only one of the prongs still hung for deal life to the shaft.

It was more than she could have expected. That other night, with the wolves, she had cast spell under the influence of the Enemy. Now… she could only do so against the current, against the flow of His malice, and that poor wand was but a small wooden twig taken between her own will and that of the Enemy.

Maybe she'd better follow the example of the Grey and White Witches and get a staff.

If she survived.

Or maybe she could try and put up a protection spell. But it would pop out of existence the moment the Enemy tossed His gaze once again upon her. Or the wand would just shatter under the sustained pressure.

No, one well-aimed hit was everything she could hope for.

Another arrow whistled next to her ear. It scattered and fell who knows where.

Red eyes shone from the bushes.

Slow, _Yrch_ slithered from the shadows, their fanged mouths opening and closing in mirth. They had them now, and they knew as much.

Two had bows. Five bent swords and mattocks. They would make quick work of their soft flesh…

“It is not right,” Akko whispered.

Something seemed to flicker in front of Akko. But Diana decided it must have been a trick of the light.

“Akko, stay behind me.” Diana lifted her wand. This was it. They were all close to her. She could _almost_ reach unimpeded for her magic. The Enemy seemed still mostly focused on something else… it was her chance.

“Why don’t you just go away?” Akko cried out. She stumbled forward.

Two more arrows cried out into the night. One went past her.

The other impacted against Akko’s thigh.

Akko yelped and fell on to the ground.

“Akko!”

Diana jumped in front of her. She twisted her wand.

“ _Murowa_!”

The spell went off.

But the _Yrch_ were not stupid. The moment they saw the green light dance upon her wand once again, they cried out and jumped, and the explosion only caught two of them in its blast.

And with the sound of twisting branches, Diana’s wand shuddered, bent and shattered.

The base of the shaft wriggled between her fingers, useless.

Five of the _Yrch_ stood up. They walked in closer, still stunned by the spell, but eager to go for the kill.

“You will not get her!” Diana stood in front of Akko. What could she use? A branch, anything, really…

“Go away!” Akko said, pushing Diana aside and standing on one knee. Blood ran down her shoulder and leg, but her eyes were clear. “We had a good thing here, me and Diana!”

The _Yrch_ cackled. The closest one, a tall misshapen thing clad in black mail, lifted its mattock with a bestial bellow.

“We were going to go on an adventure!” Akko shouted.

Diana screamed, but stopped.

Everything stopped.

A blinking light was born. It washed in waves all over Akko.

“We are still going to!” Akko closed her eyes, balled her fists, and spoke a few more words.

Some of those words had not been spoken in a long, long time.

“Leave us alone! _N-noctu O-orfei…_ ”

“ _Akko_!”

“ _Aude Fraetor!_ ”

The white light coiled in a single, shiny shape. A bow appeared in Akko’s hands. Wincing, she pulled the string-

“…uuh," Akko wheezed.

Limbs apart, she fell on the ground.

The shining arc whizzed and disappeared.

A black knife sprouted from Akko’s side.

“D-Dia…” she managed to say before falling over.

“Akko!”

The _Yrch_ laughed as they jumped over their prey.

Arrows sang, and Diana knew they would bite her side and Akko’s as well and…

No, wait.

Diana’s lost rationality, never completely spent, debated that there were no more arrows there.

The _Yrch_ shouted and cried as more arrows fell from the trees. One hit the ground, another jumped over the ravine and yelling hit the rocks below with a _crunch_. The other three tried to run for the shadows, but were pinned to the trees.

And all was silent, except for Diana’s ragged breath.

What had happened?

During this cursed mission, everything had gone from bad to worse. They were late. They had lost the horses. They had alerted the Enemy.

The absurd possibility of something like that only registered because Diana remembered, like a far-away note in a corner of a dusty book, about the burning piles of _Yrch_ they had met days before.

Someone was coming out of the trees.

“Are you alright?” Asked a male voice. She had known that voice, in another life, in a life in which she had not held Akko’s body between her arms, praying she wasn’t… she wasn’t…

“I am. Please take care of her,” she said.

More figures stepped out. One crouched next to them, took out bandages and ointments from a bag.

“I was told you two would come,” the voice said. Diana did not let go of Akko’s hand even as the figures around her began to take out the knife. “That white raven.”

“N-no, wait. She will hemorrhage.”

“We know what we are doing, Diana,” said the man next to her. Diana blinked, and behind the veil of tears blinding her, recognized brown hair and green eyes.

“A-Andrew?”

Andrew just nodded.

He pressed his hands around the knife, took it out, and pressed against the wound. The other man next to him drew a silver needle and thread and began to knit the wound close.

Akko moaned.

“She… she is not alright.”

“Nor do you. There will be time to explain. Can you help?”

Could she?

Her wand was broken.

But not the ancient magic of her family.

Trembling, Diana set her hands upon Akko’s wound.

“ _By Word and Tide, be flesh mended, be skin cleaned_ ,” she muttered.

She felt no interference, this time. The Enemy truly must have been occupied with something else.

The wound closed. Not by much, for she was spent, and shaking, and she would need time to apply proper magic, but it stopped bleeding. Good enough.

“The rest will have to wait,” Andrew said. He put a hand over Akko’s mouth. “She’s breathing. We’ll bring her to Westerndale, posthaste. Frank, give me a hand.”

The two took Akko on their back.

Diana felt one hand on her shoulder. It was firmer, and different from Akko’s.

“We are close, Diana. We will help.”

“Help,” she repeated, and the world shifted, and it twisted, and she fell into something hard, and she saw nothing more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of things happened here. Lots of things. The Words had been teased for a while, now, just as Akko's importance. As for the reason why she's able to utter them... well there's an answer for everything, it might just come a few chapters further down the line. Also, this chapter was pure adrenaline, a lot of fun to write. Now the two of them will finally be able to get some respite.  
> If Akko survives, of course. It would be a shame, given how well all this shipping stuff was going. Truly hope that will not happen. And let us not forget about Ursula, who has her own problems.  
> Oh, dear, I surely hope next update will bring some more peaceful times.
> 
> Maybe it will. I sure could do for some more cute interactions between Akko and Diana.
> 
> And as always thank you for your comments and your continued support! I noticed a recent uptick in the readership of the tale and this is, of course, great! Maybe it is the regular cadence of the last few weeks? Who knows? At any rate, thank you! And if you will, please leave a comment, I would love to hear your thoughts, especially in such a dense chapter such as this one.
> 
> On a quick note, I will start publishing something original soon, before next update. It is going to be a tale of love and adventure, such as this one, which will accompany us for the whole of February. A self-contained webnovel with a... very special protagonist, a young girl who will become a Queen. A quite formidable Queen, in fact.  
> I hope you will like "Unspeakable", coming soon to an Internet near you!
> 
> Hope you had fun reading it and see you next update (which will be unvariably next Saturday)!


	16. XVI - Once in a while, think of the Ancient days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caution. Badass Diana inside. Handle with care, keep off brown-haired maroon-eyed Witches.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Montresor apparently has a back fetish. I will not deny this, but if some of you want to contribute…  
> Seriously, though, this story keeps surprising me. I thought we would have been at this point by half November!  
> When I began to write a slow burn, I did not think it would have been so slow… but it is a nice surprise, is it not?  
> I like writing Diana, as it is easy to see. I like this kind of character, and the trial she is passing through. We have focused on her a bit, these past few chapters. I hope you liked what you saw: I have never been that confident in my erotica skills, and I would very much know what your thoughts are.  
> As for the last few scenes in this chapter… it took me a bit by surprise. Diana’s desire surely sprouted more than even I expected. But she has been scarred deeply, and it will take a while to heal.  
> She has lost pretty much everything, after all.  
> As for Akko… who knows what she wants? Something tells me trial awaits!  
> We are this close to an M rating. I think we will reach it, but I really want to get there when both of them are ready. Right now… not so much.  
> I hope you enjoyed the mixed feelings in this chapter. I love to bait for a cute, relaxing chapter and then leaving you on the worst/best cliffhanger yet. I am a little cheeky bastard, but, hey, what can I say? It’s in the name.  
> As always, thank you for reading and for your support. If you want to write a comment, please do so. Especially if you wish to lament how I keep dangling the good stuff in front of your eyes and yanking it away.  
> I am evil like that.
> 
> Final words: I am especially proud of myself for having been able to post the longest update yet (seriously, it's over 4,800 words!) and also being able to write the other story I am trying to publish every day. You can find it on my profile: 'Unspeakable'. Those of you who like Greek Mythology, or romance, might find something interesting.
> 
> See you next Saturday!

Diana awakened in a different world. Everything ached, as if she was under some undefined, invisible pressure. It was not the overwhelming Presence of the Enemy. It did not aim to make her crumble – it was instead, quite a more mundane weariness, and in part, at least, the cotton-like confusion arising from a long sleep.

For a moment, Diana’s mind wandered to a long-gone afternoon, with Mother’s voice calling her, while she slept like that, in a white room with a window looking on to the West. Everything made sense, then, and everything made sense now.

For a moment, at least.

Then memory rushed forward, a drop at first, then a trickle and at last an incoming flood like a rupturing dyke. Diana gasped. Her voice was coarse.

Her hand rose to touch her chest.

There, under linen vestments – these were not her own – rested the iron box that Professor Ursula had entrusted to her. Diana relaxed for a moment.

They had not taken it.

But after that another thought came to the mind, maybe even more urgent.

 _Akko_.

She was not with Diana in her room.

Was this…?

Yes, Westerndale. She saw Dimtide Lake glistening happily from the window, an echo of her own room in Luna Nova.

Diana pushed the sheets away and jumped on the cold marble floor. She was barefoot, but it mattered not. She only had Akko in her mind. Those maroon eyes.

And she had done… _something_ , had she not?

A spell.

No, not a spell. Something different.

Something far more ancient.

Priorities. Even if Diana’s curiosity had been piqued, her heart would not allow her mind to come first. She had to make sure Akko was fine.

She was a healer. Heir to the Cavendish bloodline. This was her calling.

Diana, barefoot, reached for her wand. Her fingers closed around a broken shaft.

Ah.

Of course.

It had wrestled against the Enemy, and suffered the brunt of the backlash. Diana put the wand back on the bed. It was useless to her this way, and maybe dangerous, given its broken state.

She took a moment to regard it. It had been given to her when she had come to Luna Nova, all those years before. It had served her well, and managed to not break immediately against the pressure of the Enemy.

“You have been a good wand,” Diana said, touching it one last time.

She reached for the door.

It was closed.

Diana frowned. Did they think she needed time to _recover_?

Her wand was broken. A lesser Witch would have been lost without a spearhead to channel and direct her magic.

But Diana had a few tricks up her sleeve. Things that they did not teach in Luna Nova.

She sat her palm against the door, closed her eyes and whispered:

“By Word and Tide. Open, in the name of Beatrix.”

The door did not bulge.

Odd.

She tried again.

“By Word and Tide. Open, in the name of Cavendish.”

And this time, the door opened.

That had been… odd.

Diana shook the thought away. She had no time for such things. She had to make sure Akko was fine. Though it worried her, and it was a line of inquiry to be satisfied, if later.

She walked in the hallway. It was cold, and she shivered in her linen clothes, but it did not hinder her. Nothing could, now.

“Akko,” she called out. No answer.

A servant, a blonde girl dressed in silver and black, noticed her. Her eyes shied from Diana, but she did not let her go.

“Peace,” Diana called her. “My name is Diana, from the House of Cavendish. I am looking for my companion. Atsuko Kagari.”

The girl did not answer. She regarded Diana with mute stupor.

“About this tall,” Diana said putting her hand level with her chin. “Brown-haired, maroon-eyed, tends to leave a trail of destruction behind her.”

“I, uh… are you… are you one of those Witches?”

“Indeed,” Diana replied with a soft sigh. “I am one of the Witches of Luna Nova. I would like to see my companion posthaste. She was injured. Most likely she still is. Please show me the way, if you do not wish to escort me.”

“I, uh, we keep the injured in the lazaret. I… can tell you how to get there.”

Diana smiled, relieved.

“That would be most welcome.”

“Go downstairs, three flights. Turn to the right, next to the mast. Under that tower, you know which one.”

That tower.

Diana nodded and threw herself downstairs.

Three flights of stairs, and she was outside, young and flowing, white and golden, in the morning light. The light of the lake seemed to gather in her hair and eyes as she ran, paying little to no mind to the people surrounding her, turning to see the young woman running, directed to the high tower that stood guard upon the West, rising like a bastion in front of the waves and the rest of the small peninsula.

Aband-in-wahtâri. The Lake-Ward. It had been built back when the world was young, when magic flew free and Witches walked among the living, welcomed with open arms, and not with suspicion and fear, like the servant girl just did. It was taller than the tallest tower in Luna Nova, and it shone still with the clearness of marble, stones erected thanks to the arts of the Nine Olden Witches. Beatrix among them.

It seemed the people of Westerndale had forgot its name.

But Diana’s gaze left the tall tower and slithered down its ramparts, to the unassuming buildings surrounding its base. These were the ancient houses of rest and healing, in times past. Now they deemed it a lazaret. Guided by luck, or maybe by something else, Diana walked right in front of a nurse, dressed in grey and white.

The woman started at the sight of Diana, dressed of a simple linen in the crisp winter morning. Diana paid little mind to the cold, though.

“Peace. My name is Diana Cavendish.”

The nurse’s brown eyes widened at her name.

“Ah. You are Master Hanbridge's guest, yes. Are you looking for him?”

“Not him, not now. I am looking for my companion. I was told she was brought here.”

The nurse nodded.

“Ah, yes, the other one. Brown hair, maroon eyes, about this tall?”

“Yes!” Something sprouted in Diana’s heart, something warm and unexpected, like a great firework in the middle of a cold night. “That would be her. How is she? Is she still hurt?”

“Your… companion...” The nurse tilted her head. “Is she like you? Another Witch?”

“Second to none,” replied Diana.

“I see. She is stable, as far as I can say. We have extracted the arrows, cleaned the knife wound. She’s feeble. I would not advise visit her, if that is your wish…” the nurse’s lips clicked, as if to find a word that was not quite there, “… _madame_ Cavendish.”

“Nonsense,” Diana waved her hand, and made to walk right past the woman. The nurse stopped her, setting both hands on her shoulder.

“You do not understand. She is not completely recovered.”

“The better reason to let me pass.” Diana had not used her voice like that since that night. That cursed night with the wolves and the Enemy taking great mirth in breaking her mind, and Akko’s grace in putting it back together.

“I have great respect for your arts, madame Cavendish, but…”

“You do not, or you would let me pass. Stand _aside_ ,” Diana demanded, this time with a touch of true power in her voice.

The woman let go of her. She rubbed her hands, as if they were unnaturally cold. Diana did not stop to excuse herself. She launched herself upstairs, her naked feet barely touching the stone. Akko. She could only think about Akko. About her wounds. About the state she had been. She had failed to protect her, once and again. And again, and again.

A whisper, a voiceless one, told her to turn right, past a series of tall white arches. Nurses looked at her, but nobody tried to stop her.

There. A large wooden door. Someone was laughing inside.

 _Akko_.

“Akko!” Diana shouted as she came in. The door hit the wall and rebounded, drawing a toll.

Akko turned her brown head towards her, her fingers holding a pair of dices. Her shoulder was bandaged, as other parts of her body. The rest was covered by thick blankets.

“Good morning Diana,” she replied in that casual way that made Diana want to hold her tight.

“How are you? What is your condition? Did they hurt you?”

“I’m fine,” replied, shrugging. She winced. “Ow. Still not quite used to that.”

“You should rest. I demand to see your condition.”

“Good morning to you as well, Diana,” said a male voice behind her.

Diana turned. Sitting right next to Akko’s bed, a thin smile upon his lips, was Andrew.

When had he come in? Or maybe she had just not noticed it.

“Andrew,” Diana said. Her breath was ice, moving between the two. There had been a time, long ago, when Andrew Hanbridge had been a friend, a powerful acquaintance, an ally, and someone that had shown… interest in Akko.

Back then it had seemed all so inconsequential.

Now, tall tides of rage scoured the inside of Diana’s heart.

She was frowning. Why was she frowning?

“Cheer up, Diana,” Akko said, tapping on her shoulder. “I am made of stern stuff. I am fine. Ow. Mostly.”

“I still demand to see your wounds.”

“Can’t you wait for the end of the game? I was winning.”

Diana blinked.

“Which game?”

“It is a new one. Akko played it with her friends. Indeed fascinating.” Andrew said.

Only then Diana noticed that, on a small table, a checkerboard rested, black and white. On top, chess and checker pieces were scattered seemingly without rhyme nor reason. Cards littered the side.

“My turn!” Exclaimed Akko with a determined look on her face.

Diana sighed. She sat at the foot of Akko’s bed. Better to give her some space, at least for now. And to make sure Andrew Hanbridge upheld his reputation of honorable man.

She was just going to make sure.

For Akko’s sake.

She was sitting quite close to Akko, was she not?

Akko smelled good.

“Seven!” Akko exclaimed as the dices rolled. “That means I can play my King,” she put down a king card from her side of the board, “and I can move my Apothecary three squares _here_ ,” she pushed the bishop piece to the other side of the board, “and that means my score goes… uh…” her maroon eyes shot to Diana, and Diana lifted her own gaze, which had wandered, for mysterious reasons, close to Akko’s collarbone. “Diana. What’s the sum of twenty-six plus nine times seventeen? I think it’s about six hundred.”

Diana blinked.

“One hundred, seventy-nine,” she replied.

“Uh? Is it not a lot more?”

“Akko, you should solve the multiplication before the addition. We have been over this.”

It was Akko’s turn to blink. Not convinced, she made a few calculations, waving her fingers.

“Blooden ashes, you are right. No matter, Andrew, this is even better! I pay one hundred and fifty-three points to put my King in the sixteenth House, and I claim second place on the ladder!” She crossed her arms on her chest, wincing. “Ow. Still not used to that. I win!”

Diana blinked again.

Maybe she was still dreaming.

Andrew tapped on his chin.

“But _my_ Taxodermian,” he pointed at the Queen figurine on his side of the board, “is on the fourteenth House, and I scored fifteen with my dices three turns ago. That means your move is illegal.”

“Uh-uh! Ow! Really should stop doing that. You did not claim _Cuckeroo_ when you played your card, seven turns ago. That means you cannot play change of House until you pay two hundred points or your Catathoric is in the seventh House. Which it is not!”

Andrew’s green eyes scrutinized the board.

“By the fine reins of my grandfather’s steed,” he replied after a while, “you are indeed right, Akko. You win. Good game.”

“Yay! Thank you Diana!”

“What did I do?”

“You made the right calculation for me! I managed to win three turns in advance! Thank you!”

“Always... glad to help.”

Diana blinked again, and the world reset itself.

“Very well,” she said, her voice stern once again. “Now that you played _your game_ , do not you think it is just about time I take a good look at Akko’s wounds? Please do not make me waste more time.”

“Uh, I do feel fine. The nurses did good.”

“With all the respect for nurses, I am a Cavendish, Akko. Take off your sheets.”

Andrew stood up.

“I will leave you two to your own devices. I would like a word with you, Diana, when this is over.”

“Do not wait for me, Andrew. This will take some time.”

Andrew tilted his head, like the servant did. Not to accuse her with his gaze. He seemed to look once again at the checkerboard.

“You have changed,” he said, and added nothing more. Not to her, at least. “Get well, Akko. I will have a few things to show you when you can get out of bed. Peace!”

He took the door and disappeared.

 _Things to show_?

Diana followed him with her icy gaze, and if it could, she would have cast the door down.

She really wanted a wand…

“Diana? Are you alright?”

Diana’s eyes shifted.

“Indeed. Do I look otherwise?”

Akko chuckled, winced.

“You are half-naked.”

Ever since she had come out of bed, Diana had only seen _parts_ of the world. Some had come out on their own, others seemingly needed Akko’s help to reach her.

She looked down.

Her plump chest glanced back, hidden by sheer linen.

And below…

“ _Powers_ ,” she whispered. No wonder nurses and servants thought so little of her.

“It’s nothing,” Akko reassured her, patting on her hand. “I do not mind.” And her eyes shifted briefly.

Was it not supposed to be winter? Or maybe the sun, slithering from the window above, had decided to lit Diana’s cheeks on fire.

“I…” _what_ was it with Akko that sent her into a crazy stumble, unable to reach for words? She had to steel herself. “I think that is alright,” she said in the end. Quite dumb, as an answer.

She had to focus.

She was here to heal.

“Really?” Asked Akko, but Diana did not grace that with an answer.

“Do not mind my state of undress. It is indeed temporary. I merely did not think about it. Now, please, Akko. I want to see your wounds.”

“But, can you? I mean, they just changed bandages.”

“Trust me,” Diana replied.

She held Akko’s hand in her own. It was so warm.

“But what about you? You are bandaged as well.”

“Am I?”

Diana looked down at herself.

She was. On her calf. And on her shoulder, as well. And her knees.

She had not felt pain, not even seen the bandages.

Diana took a long breath.

“Akko, please allow me to put my worries to rest. I will deal with my own wounds soon, but first I have to make sure.”

Slowly, Akko nodded.

“I also have something to ask. But, uh, for later. So, please, do this?”

Akko flushed as she touched the sheet covering part of her body. Diana’s hand reached for her.

“No, Akko, please. Let me do this.”

“Very well.” A wry smile danced on her lips. “I am in your hands.”

With utmost care, Diana began to take the sheet off Akko’s body. She was clean, a faint scent of lavender filled the air. The bandages were tight, and there was just a trace of red where they hugged her shoulder, side and thigh.

Diana inserted her fingers beneath the bandages. She sat the other hand on Akko’s own, keeping it steady.

“Diana… where is your wand?”

“Broken.”

Akko gasped.

“What? But then…”

“It wrestled with me against the Will of the Enemy, Akko. The pressure was overwhelming, and I had to… _insist_ for the spell to succeed. It died a good death. Greater and more powerful items have fared worse against His will. Now hush, if you please. Your voice is distracting.”

Akko, her mouth set, flushed slightly more.

Maybe Diana could have said it in a different way.

“What I meant is that your voice may make me think of you, and I only need to focus on your body.”

That did not seem to help.

“Akko, what I want to say, is…” Diana shook her head. “Just think happy thoughts, please.”

“I am,” Akko chuckled.

Diana began to take off the bandages. She did it with the utmost care, like she was unwrapping a precious gift. She saw no smears of blood, nor the yellow of body fluids. Her wounds have been cleaned. Satisfactory.

But far from ideal.

Akko winced as Diana finished unwrapping the bandages.

Arrow wounds were often more dangerous after the first hit. The head, especially if cruelly barbed like _Yrch_ tended to use, would tear and bite into the flesh, often rupturing a vein. These had been taken out of Akko’s body, but the wounds were… not pretty. They had sewn them close, and the lack of pus around the string told Diana they had done a good job.

But again: not good enough.

Akko shifted slightly.

“Is it bad?”

“No.” Diana let go of Akko’s hand, and sat her right one just in front of the first wound. “But it is not good, either.”

Diana closed her eyes.

Laughter echoed in the air. Memories of a happier time, one where Cavendish manor was her entire world. Days were only made of play time and ballads, and songs and the happy crackling of fire, and the secret singing of rustling water.

What did the stream say, as it flew down onto the valley? Diana had often stood on the rocks, listening to its voice, peering into its secrets. Mother's advice to listen, and not just with her ears.

Diana breathed out.

She was with Akko, now. Worries of the incoming war faded. Memories of what waited for her in her old house abated. And even the shadow of the Enemy seemed to dwindle, waning, though it did not disappear completely from Diana’s heart. But it stayed put.

Diana set her palm over Akko’s wound.

“ _Whose hand set the stars alight?_

_Whose song whispers the stream?_

_Whose voice is in tongues of fire?_

_Sing me a song of bonding,  
_

_Bone, flesh and skin mending.”_

Akko’s flesh trembled. One by one, the thin threads of string that had held her wound taut untied themselves. Diana took them in her fingers. Her wound, which had been up until then an open mouth, reddened and scabbed and angry, began to slowly close. Skin covered it, white and anew and whole.

“W-whoa,” Akko whispered as the wound on her thigh disappeared, leaving behind only shiny, unmarred skin.

Diana let down a long breath. She opened her eyes again.

Her body ached. She felt like she had just run for hours. Her breath was ragged and irregular.

Her forehead glistened with sweat.

“Do you feel better?”

“Diana, yes, thank you! But you… what about you? What is this? Magic? But if you use it…”

“The Enemy knows our position already. He is wise, in His own twisted way. And it is not the kind of magic that they teach you in Luna Nova. This, Akko… this comes from deeper roots than what Professor Finnelan, or Headmistress Holbrooke… no, even Professor Ursula might teach you. This is a power that was on earth before the first wand was made.”

Akko blinked.

“Diana… _who_ are you?”

“Akko… do I scare you?”

“No!” Akko took her hands in her own, quickly. “Ow. My shoulder is still aching, sorry. No, Diana, you do not scare me! How could you even think something like that? You are so amazing and courageous and… and…” Akko’s eyes danced all over her body. Diana felt them caress her hair, her eyes, hesitate on her collarbone, rise like a scared animal towards her lips, and then shy away, like a tired sparrow that has finished her flight. “You’re so… _you_. I was just curious.”

Even amidst the weariness that was overtaking her, Diana’s heart pumped stronger and stronger. The simple presence of Akko was enough to send her chest into a frenzy these days. And when she was so… affectionate with her, Diana was sorely tempted to throw caution to the wind and reach for her and…

And do what she had wanted to do, really, since that morning, in the ruined tower, against the door.

But it was not time.

And it was not like she deserved it.

Not really.

“Akko…” Diana lowered her gaze, to where her thumb was tracing forgotten arabesques on Akko’s hand. “I do not think I am that courageous. If I have bravery, is the bravery of the fool. I jumped headfirst into this errand, and were it not for your strong arms and steadfast heart, I would have ended my days in the stomach of some wolf. Do not startle! You know it to be true. As for amazing…” Diana chuckled. Daryl would have to object, for sure. “I do not think I am that, either. I might have… a task, for sure. Something unrelated to this mission. I spoke about it already. It is a weight upon my heart. But that does not make me remarkable.”

“Then I will help you with that! You can be amazing alone, together we can be amazing squared!”

“Akko…” Diana shook her head. Two hooks had bitten into her flesh, and one pulled her towards Akko, and the other away, and because she did not want to hurt Akko any more than she had already been, she went in that direction.

“Let me heal your shoulder.”

“Ah. Yes.”

Diana stood up at Akko’s side, and began to unwrap those bandages as well.

The wound was cleaner on the front, but on the back, where the arrow had come out, it was lacerated and uneven. Diana shuddered at the thought of that iron barb, cutting through Akko’s ligaments and muscles, defacing such beauty. The side and tight wounds had been easier to deal with. This... wuld require a stronger song.

“Is… is that bad?”

“It is worse than the others. But I do have it in me to do this at least.”

Akko did not answer. She seemed caught in her own thoughts. Her cheeks were flushed, and with good reason. Diana sat behind her on the bed. Akko’s skin was so warm.

Diana let her fingers linger on Akko’s shoulders for one endlessly greedy moment.

Was this what she felt?

Greed?

Diana indeed liked Akko’s back. Strong, wide, the back of a warrior.

And then, following the line of her spine, it turned into a thin sculpture of maidenly beauty.

The back of a hero. The back of a Witch.

“ _Akko_ ,” Diana mouthed, but no breath came from her mouth.

Greed mounted in her veins. And she was seized by an impulse that had grown in her like secret flowers, blooming all at once in spring after the first rain, as if by accord.

Diana’s fingers let go of Akko’s shoulders.

She was so greedy.

Diana was no hero.

It was just like Daryl had said. She might enjoy playing, pretending to be as the great Witches of old. She might not be like Jennifer. But she so desperately wanted to be like Beatrix.

She had wanted their admiration.

She had wanted to walk down Luna Nova, gathering cheers at every step.

Akko would look up to her, and smile, and Diana-

Akko let out a soft gasp as Diana’s fingers trailed down, following forsaken roads, and stopping at the small twin dimples at the base of her back.

“Breathtaking,” Diana said.

Akko did not reply.

Diana pulled Akko close.

Closer.

Her head fell against Akko’s neck, on her healthy shoulder.

She was so close now, their breaths echoed each other.

Diana’s eyes moved left and met Akko’s.

Her hands encircled her waist, resting against Akko’s stomach.

“I wish they would forget about us,” Diana whispered. “Forget all about me, and you, and the Silver Tree, and the Nine Olden Witches, and the Enemy, cursed be His name.”

The iron box pressed against Akko’s back.

Diana withdrew one hand and pulled it away from her neck, and it was like getting rid of a noose. She let it fall, who knows where.

“I have lost my wand. I have lost most of my family, and what part I do have is a nest of vipers. I have lost my pride, and I do not know how to fill the hole it has left in me.”

A pause.

“I thought I had lost you, too. I did not know what to do. I thought I had failed to protect you. I had made a promise, Akko.”

Diana’s arms rose to touch Akko’s stomach.

“I will heal you. Your skin must be unmarred. I will heal you, and then what? I do not know.”

Diana’s mouth was so close, now. It almost touched Akko’s neck.

She was so greedy.

Oh, it would have been so easy.

She saw it.

She would push Akko down, gently heal her shoulder, and then she would slowly move her hands to pull her own linen cloth away, and Diana would stand, naked and unclothed, bereft of power and bloodline and pride, shaking in the shame of her own fragility, and she would offer herself.

Would Akko take her then?

And here she was.

Still thinking about her own petty desires.

She was no healer.

She was no Witch.

She was no Heir.

And surely, she would not be the one to defeat the Enemy.

And Akko was so close.

So easy to take.

“What are we doing?” Akko whispered. Her head was tilted back. So close. Her breath was like a soft wind, caressing and bathing Diana in warmth.

“I do not know,” Diana answered. And it was true. “I like watching your back. It comforts me.”

“What is happening?” Akko asked. “Three weeks ago, we were… I was… I thought…”

“Akko,” Diana replied, as if it could be enough of an answer.

She wanted her.

Her heart ached.

On Diana’s chest, shone twin hard stars of desire.

And the fire in her chest collected, thick and viscous like golden honey, burning like molten metal, down into her stomach, a serpent of fire that sang words Diana did not understand, and it would then drip… drip… drip…

Diana withdrew her hands.

She was alone, and cold, again. Her hand fumbled against the floor, recovered the iron box, and put it around her neck.

There.

She was Cavendish again.

She knew what her duty was.

And she had silenced her greed.

Oh, not defeated it.

But she had put the lid on it, once again.

“My shoulder aches,” Akko said.

“My apologies,” Diana replied. Her voice sounded foreign to her own ears. She was so greedy. “I will proceed to heal it posthaste. Please inform me if you feel the slightest discomfort,  I…”

Akko turned.

Something shone in her eyes.

“Stop it! Stop being so formal! You did something, or I did something or… I do not understand! And I usually do not understand a lot of things… but…” slowly, Akko closed her eyes. “Nevermind. I had some strange dreams. I wanted to speak about it. Not now. Just… Diana, do not leave me alone. You are running away.”

Akko turned her head.

She was shivering, lightly, but she was.

Diana knew she would not heed further words.

So, she just sat her hands on Akko’s wound.

“ _Once in a while, think of the Ancient days,_

_think of what the streams sang._

_Think of the leaves mirrored in water,_

_and of the words spoken by stars._

_Think of the whispers gone with the wind,_

_think of the eventide’s gentle rays._

_Think and remember all that was lost._

_And if you cannot, leave a goodbye.”_

Akko’s shoulder was healed.

“That was a nice song,” she commented.

Diana’s lips creased, but the smile did not reach her heart.

She let out a long breath. Her heart ached, and not just due to the words she wanted to say, the actions she wanted to take. The song of mending had taken it toll on her. She would need to rest… for hours, maybe more. But she was still there with Akko, was she not?

Akko.

Akko.

Diana dared not touch Akko again, but her greed pushed and pushed, and, kicking, screaming, it blew the lid.

“I want you.” Diana said in a breathy whisper.

“I know you do.” Akko answered.

Silence fell, once more, between them.


	17. XVII - Roots and musings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a tiny hint of things to come, here.

Sucy looked upon the tree, and she saw a tree that was long, long dead.

“This winter is strange,” she mused as she kneeled forward, eyeing the gnawed roots. Their edges twisted, folded upon themselves like the bark was an old snakeskin, now too wrinkled and old to be of use. And to say she had gotten so many interesting specimens at the onset of winter, barely a couple week before. Their potency had been enhanced, as if something had willed them stronger, nastier and deadlier. All in good fun for her, of course.

Ah.

Yes.

That was not supposed to be a good thing, was it? The work of that sucker who had taken hold of Lotte’s body a few weeks before, was it? What was His name, again? People tended to lose their minds over the silliest things. There had always been enemies of Witches, be they dragons, or goblins, or the nasty things that bite themselves in anger and solitude and hunger for more, deep down below, knowing nothing of light or mercy.

And yet…

A wind rose from the East. Sucy heard it more than feeling it. It creaked against the glass panels of the glasshouse where the dead tree rested, and Sucy felt the impulse, wild and sudden, to hold onto something, something warm, that could protect her from the fell wind. For a moment she was once again alone, and weak, and friendless, like she used to be.

Most unkind thing, the heart. So eager to forget all about past injuries, when it is among friends. And yet so quick to remember them all, and with interest, when those friends fail you.

“Stupid girl,” Sucy whispered, who knew if to herself or to the wind. The dead tree had no words for her.

Sucy shook her head. Who knew where Akko was, after all. She must have lost herself somewhere, probably deep in the trees, where even that Cavendish will have a hard time finding her…

Or not?

Maybe Cavendish would find her. Find her, and then what? Those two...

Maybe Akko would…

Sucy frowned.

Worse images and worse still scattered across her mind, like a flight of leathery bats.

“Get a hold of yourself,” Sucy whispered through gritted teeth. The wind seemed to howl at the rhythm of her own darkening thoughts. There was no way anything like that was _ever_ going to happen.

Not with Akko.

And surely _not_ with Cavendish.

Shrugging – a gesture that failed to comfort her – she extracted her knife and did what she came here for. She had not entered the glasshouse to muse about, she cut through the hard flesh of the fungi eating away at the coiled roots and branches of the dead tree.

Sucy watched the powdered fungus falling into her glass bowel, and smiled.

“Serves you right,” she said to the tree, speaking through a snicker. “Serves you right, you dumb tree. You just had to die and become useless, and now you have good little Sucy coming to harvest your uselessness. You will serve better bottled and dried up and sprinkled into someone’s dinner than here, catching air and light and doing nothing!”

A flame seemed to rise in her heart. Sucy took a long breath and had an uncharacteristically strong outburst as she lifted her right foot and kicked the tree.

“Stupid tree! And stupid Akko! She said she would write! She said she would come back soon!”

The tree had no answers. Just a couple more dead leaves.

“Stupid tree,” Sucy muttered one last time. “Were you supposed be important, or what? Hehehe, now look at you! Look at you, getting cut by good little Sucy! Ha! Serves you right! Stupid tree!”

Sucy laughed at the face in the tree. But the face did not answer, and for a moment Sucy wondered if, a long time ago, that face had not been as gnarled and twisted as it was now, knots in the wood smearing once-beautiful features into a mask of a long wail, who knows if a wail of sorrow, rage or fear.

Sucy shivered.

“Stupid old dead tree.”

She turned and left, shutting the glasshouse’s door behind herself.

Inside the glasshouse, the tree did not answer.

 

-

 

Lotte had gathered Barbara’s things. She had expected the other Witch to have more savings, and it turned out that whatever allowance her parents had shipped her had long-since dried up after the last cart departed from Luna Nova, which had been at the end of Summer.

In total, Lotte owned three copper pieces and a wood button.

Barbara had her good clothes, but those would be useless anyway – too tight around the chest for Amanda – and little else that could be of interest to their putative burglar.

So, Barbara had tried to get Hannah into their little common cause, and as heavens would have it, Hannah still had a few coins to her good name.

Lotte had counted them: six copper pieces from Westerndale, two brass ones from Berg, and one strange silver coin, large and with something like swan wings stamped upon it, from some far-away place in the South. She could not read the inscriptions.

But it was their best bet.

“I still do not think this is a good idea,” Hannah had said, though.

“We have to try, at least. If she does not like our offer, then you’ll get your coin back.” Lotte saw Barbara tried to be supportive, but whenever there was something related to the red-haired Witch, Hannah always got fidgety, nervous.

Lotte had noticed this, for about one year, but she had kept the news to herself. Who could have a use for them, anyway? Akko would forget about them not twenty minutes later. Sucy would try and exploit Hannah. Diana would be silent about the news and maybe – maybe – do something about it in a long, convoluted way that could not be traced back to her. And as for Hannah herself, she would probably explode right in the middle of the hallway.

And worse of all, people would stop consider Lotte a harmless little Witch, and they would know she knew, and guard their words around her. She had learned at a young age that one understood more about the world by keeping their mouth shut and their ears open.

A good daughter of Pohjola, she was.

“I don’t care about the _coin_ ,” Hannah answered, her face flushing a little redder.

Lotte smiled inwardly. Just as she thought.

“Dalling here will amount to nothing. And she’s on the other side of the door anyway,” Lotte said after a few moments. She was the first to knock.

As with many other little fears, they had disappeared after her… encounter.

But she would not go back to those moments.

She needed her burglar.

“Who’s there,” came an annoyed voice from inside.

“It’s me,” Lotte answered, her voice firm. “I want to talk about something.”

The door opened. Inside stood Amanda, in her usual clothes, a light scowl upon her face like a far-away cloud peeking at the horizon.

“What are you doing here? Were you not convalescent, or something?” Her green gaze moved away from Lotte. “And what about these two dangling at your tail? Are you attracted to blondes, or what?”

Hannah started and if possible her blush turned even darker.

“Please,” Lotte asked, “can we come in? It’s not something that we can risk a Professor to know.”

That got Amanda’s interest. Her eyebrow shot up, and a small grin appeared on her features like a thin hidden blade, now revealed.

“Would you look at that. Little Lotte, of all people, plotting mischief. Come on in, then.”

The three entered the room.

Jasminka sat on her bed, eating with one hand and with the other turning pages on a book. She seemed distant, and Lotte weakly greeted her, to which she only answered with a nod.

Lotte was about to sit on the one empty bed, but Amanda shot her a glare and she froze.

“Not there. Get a chair, or sit on my bed. I don’t care either way. Alright. Now, state your business, and please explain why you bring Cavendish’s minions in this den of naughtiness.”

Amanda sat like she usually did, with little care or concern for personal space, but after all Lotte sat as she usually did as well, trying to make herself as small as possible. They evened each other’s out.

Hannah and Barbara did not sit down.

“We have a proposition for you.”

“Whoa, girl, whatever you are about to say, I am sorry, but three at the same time it’s a little too much even for me.”

Lotte, who was used to Amanda’s bravado as a tactic to show off – and she knew Amanda recognized a business transaction when she saw one – said nothing. Barbara huffed.

Hannah seemed just about to explode.

“Another time, then.” Lotte replied, unfolding her hand. Inside glistened copper and brass. Lotte had kept the silver coin for later.

“What’s this? Do you think I’m a beggar, or something? I know how to get my money.”

Jasminka coughed.

Nobody replied.

“I know,” Lotte said at last. “It’s precisely because of that. We want to hire you.”

The grin on Amanda’s mouth slowly disappeared, like the head of a turtle retracting back into its shell.

“With copper and brass? Don’t make me laugh.”

“It’s not just that!” Shouted Hannah, her fists balled. “It’s-it’s about our friends! It’s about Diana, and are you not a friend of Akko, as well? Why would you…”

“Hold on,” Amanda said, and Hannah stopped like thunder had struck her, “what’s this about Akko? Are you still worried about her? Akko is tough.”

“I do know,” Lotte replied with a little smile. Lotte hoped she was half as tough as her. She would need it. “We are trying to understand what… what happened the other day. When I…”

Lotte closed her eyes.

She took a long breath.

Was the gnawing of teeth, what she heard at the edge of her hearing?

Something was gnawing, yes.

Gnawing on roots.

Deep, deeper than thought and memory.

And getting closer.

“When I had that… accident,” Lotte finished. “Professor Ursula told us about the Enemy. And the past War… and how He was toppled, but not destroyed. But there’s nothing about it in the archives.”

“Nothing?” Amanda replied, knitting her eyebrows.

“Nothing,” echoed Jasminka from her bed. “I had checked out the library two years ago for receipts. I know every book, though I do not remember everyone as well as Diana could. Or Constanze.”

Amanda’s eyes shifted.

“Yeah, yeah, so you need to find some dusty old book? Is that it?”

“No, we need to access… there must be a part of the library that’s hidden. Or not the library. Some place where there’s… secrets, some place where one can keep something hidden… records, books.”

“And you come to me for this kind of service. And you are going to pay me in copper and brass.”

“And silver!” Hannah blurted out. “Show her the coin. I found it washed up in a river long time ago. It… it’s silver, it’s thick. It is dear to me. But I… I would give it to you, if you were to help us.”

Lotte felt a hint there was some other hidden meaning behind the coin and giving it to Amanda, but, once again, one did not go far if they opened their mouth pointlessly.

Therefore, as the coin shone grey on her palm, and she kept her lips shut.

“This is… I think I have seen one like this, before. It’s from the South. From the Long Shore country, I think. Beyond the mountains. It’s…it’s beautiful. And you would give it to me.”

“Yes. If you help us. It would show you I am serious about… about helping Diana. And your friend Akko. I would give you something dear to me. Very dear.”

“I see…” Amanda flipped the coin in her hand, three times. It caught the light like a glittering spark, coiling upon itself. “And you would let me keep this dear thing?”

“Y-yes.”

“It would be mine.”

“It… it would not be a big problem,” Hannah replied, shifting away her gaze.

 _Not if it’s you_ , Lotte added mentally.

Inwardly, she smiled.

Amanda tossed the coin at Hannah. Started, she caught it at the last moment.

“No.”

A moment of silence.

Amanda grinned.

“Not for the coin, I mean. If it’s like you said, and you want to know more about this Enemy, and everything else, I am going to help you anyway. And for a token charge… this time.”

“Would you really…?” Barbara inquired. Hannah was still frozen.

“Meh,” Amanda shrugged. “It’s not like I have much to do. This is a fell winter. The air is freezing, and foul, and it has an odd tinge to it. Makes flying difficult. Tastes bad. Maybe there’s something true at the bottom of those scary stories about monsters hidden in the dark.” She cracked her knuckles. “And if there is, I want to know what.”

“I will come as well,” Jasminka said, closing her book. “I am not as close to Akko or Diana as some of you are, but I know a thing or two about finding the right thing among many.” She put a few crumbles in her mouth. “Ingredients, seasonings, things like that. I hope Akko is enjoying the herbs I have given her.”

“It’s settled then,” Lotte said, clasping her hands. “I will get Sucy. On Wednesday it’s Professor Babcock’s night shift in the hallways, and she’s easily distracted.”

“What do you mean ‘easily distracted’?” Inquired Barbara.

Lotte grinned.

“I have a few… alternate tales on _Night Light_ I have written in my spare time. I am sure the Professor is going to love finding some of them scattered around the hallway!”

Barbara looked at her with wide eyes.

“W-wait, you… you do that too? But I… we… we have to talk.”

“And _I_ still have to get paid,” Amanda said, opening her palm. “I said no to silver, but I’ll take copper and brass, thank you.”

 

-

 

Seen from here, the Lake of Westerndale glittered like a shore of violet stars. It reminded Akko of Luna Nova, of the lazy sunsets she spent at the window, thinking about Shiny Chariot and the time when she would finally become a great Witch and lit every heart up in a shower of red sparks.

Akko’s fingers rested on her shoulder.

She had seen restorative magic before, but what Diana had done had been… _different_.

Deeper, in a way.

 _Once in a while, think of the Ancient days_.

And Akko did.

Even now, as she closed her eyes, from behind the curtain she saw it again.

A tall, silver tree, stretching like a pillar to hold the entire sky.

And the other thing.

The thing, gnawing, gnawing at its roots.

The hateful, loathsome thing, speaking with words like open craters.

She had met it before.

And those words… she had said… something.

But could not… could not remember.

Maybe she did not want to.

She opened her eyes.

The lake, the scenery, and the sunset… it was all still there.

And she was alone.

Maybe for the better.

She did not want to refuse Diana.

She did not want to reject her, to push her away.

Not after how weary she had fallen from her healing spell.

And she had even lost her wand… all because of those monsters and their stupid arrows!

But it was not just that, was it?

It would be nice if it could just be like that, hm?

Just Akko, on her own, and the sunset, and the lake, and no bad thoughts.

Diana had asked for something similar, had she not?

Why did it had to _continue_?

The sky would grow dimmer, the water darker, and light would tread into blackness.

Why did it go always like that? From good to bad?

Akko did not know why.

She did not like it, that’s all.

And now, with magic, she had thought she could do something to… well, not stop it, but… slow it down?

What had she _done_?

What had she _dreamt_?

“This is all so stupid,” she muttered to the wind.

“Standing atop the tallest tower in Westerndale, alone?” A male voice said from behind. “Someone would call it stupid, yes.”

“Andrew!” Akko turned to see the young man, who laughed and caught her in his embrace.

“At least I know you’re completely recovered. Doing foolish things is your favourite pastime, is it not?”

“Hey!” Akko pouted. “I only needed some time alone, that’s all.”

“I noticed,” Andrew replied, discarding his own good advice and sitting atop the wall next to Akko, his back to the two hundred and more feet of freefall, followed by the hundred more of rock, bushes, and water. “I noticed you wanted to spend some time alone. I waited a few long minutes downstairs,” he said with a slight smile. “But I walked in, at the end. Why are you not with Diana?”

Akko hissed through her teeth.

“That’s not a good question to ask. You re mean!”

“Then tell me what might be a good question, because I do indeed have a few. Why do I find two Witches alone, afoot, in the woods, running from _Yrch_ , and why one of them is a good friend? What made Diana change so much, so sudden? And why are you up here, looking at the horizon, instead of trying to sneak into the kitchens like the last time?”

“That’s a lot of questions. I thought I was not at school anymore.”

“You have never been at school,” Andrew replied. “You just have to realize it.”

Akko did not speak for a long while. Only when the sky did indeed grow darker and the stones atop Westerndale turned from golden to ochre to violet to grey, she did answer.

“I had a strange dream, among other things.”

“A strange dream. Please do explain.”

“I can’t really remember. There was this huge silver tree, stretching all the way to the sky… and there was this black, twisted _thing_ gnawing at its roots.”

Andrew’s green eyes did not leave her.

“I do not know what you are describing. I am not well-versed in Witch-lore. I only know the tales of my people, and the strength of my arm. In these dark times, it is not little. Though it is not enough. I am not the person you should go to know the meaning of your dreams.”

Even Akko understood what Andrew meant.

“I know! But I cannot… I cannot go to her! I can’t… I just… it would have been better if we stayed rivals.”

“Rivals?” Andrew replied with a thin smile. “I thought you were on a completely different level.”

“I know, I know,” Akko huffed. “She’s Diana Cavendish, top of her class, and I am a nobody.”

“I did not mean that. Diana told you about her family?”

“Some… some things. I know about… her parents,” Akko replied fidgeting. Her own noble Father was out there, somewhere. She’d better repair her bow if she were to face him again. “And she said she has some family baggage.”

“Baggage!” Andrew laughed. “That’s one way to put it, sure. Ah, no, Akko, I meant you were, are, on a completely different level than Diana. Cannot you not see it?”

Akko blinked.

“I cannot do magic to save my own life! I tried! I was there! There were wolves!”

“Try and see beyond magic, Akko! Did you not have friends in Luna Nova? The blonde one, and the murderous one?”

Akko nodded.

“Yes. I miss them.”

“And did we not become friends as well?”

“Hm-hm.”

“Is it not that everywhere you go, you manage to find and make new friends? Is that not remarkable? Diana… I do care for her. But she can only shine of the light of her forefathers, and she has to carry that torch until her fingers grown numb with cold and old age. Everything you do, Akko, you do out of your own will, out of your own good heart. Diana walks a far narrower path, and I would not be surprised she wonders whether she’s going forward or tracing back her steps.” Andrew shook his head. “I would pity her, if Diana could be pitied. But I have seen her changed. When she barged in, to check on you… that was more Diana that I had ever seen.” Andrew chuckled. “You have worked your magic on her as well! I remember an algid, iron queen of efficiency, and I saw a young girl, eager to make sure her friend was alright!” Andrew laughed, and it was like one last echo of the dead day. “If I do envy someone, it is you, Akko.”

Akko did not reply, not immediately. Praise was something she was not used to, and even after Diana’s best efforts had not scattered the clouds of doubt weighing upon her heart. But it did feel good to be praised, as long as it did not become a habit.

Akko would not know what to do if it did become a habit.

And also… yes, she did manage to make new friends, but…

Had she not pushed away her newest one?

“Diana has… said some things.” She did not want to share them. “I won’t tell! But those words made me think. I believe… I believe she… how to say this…” Akko opened her palms, “I don’t know, it’s confusing, it’s like when you really really want to open a present, but if you open it it’s going to ruin the surprise, but you really want to, but it would be better to wait, and so you do nothing but even doing nothing hurts.”

Andrew slowly nodded.

“And I think Diana likes me.” A pause. “I mean, she likes me, _now_.” Akko retracted unto herself, just the way, at the root of the tower, the flowers sprouting on the shore were closing down for the night. “Because there’s no magic. Because I’m not Akko the disaster, anymore. For… for now.”

Why did every word weigh so much? Why did they taste so bitter?

“What if… what if when we go back, I am Akko the disaster once more? What then? Is she… is she going to look down at me again? Am I going to lose her? She’s going to think she wasted her time, that it was all a fluke… I… I could not look at her. Not at her, looking down at me!” Akko passed her hand over her eyes. Dust must have gotten in her eyes, or something.

Or something.

“I fear this will not last, Andrew.”

Andrew put his arm around Akko’s shoulder, and pulled her closer.

“What ever does, my dear little Witch? Not even this Tower, not even this City will last, surely not longer than its memory, and memory does not last as long as the men who possess it. I am waging war and risking my life for a fickle thing, for a passing flight of fancy! Instead of using my money on the company of beautiful girls or the thrill of the hunt, engorging myself ere the final darkness falls, I hide in the mud for one more kill, one more day my Tower stands against darkness. Am I a madman, Akko?”

“No,” she replied. “That’s not madness! That’s love, and dedication, and bravery!”

“Then be brave as well,” Andrew replied, holding her shoulders. “And fear no darkness. Diana is not going to pass, nor is she going to abandon you, lest you abandon yourself.”

Akko let herself fall into Andrew’s embrace. They stood like that, comforting each other, like two old trees falling against each other after being felled at the base. And there they rested, until the stars twinkled from above.

“I should talk to her, should I not?” Asked Akko.

“Most definitely,” answered Andrew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the late update. It seems like every time I plan to stick to an update, things happen. In this case... it was finding a new job.This is full-time, though, so I have less time than usual to keep tabs over everything, between the job, my own studies, and writing, of course.
> 
> I hope you liked this chapter. Quite long, is it not? And so full of foreshadowing! I like foreshadowing, I think I already hinted I liked foreshadowing. I also really like Andrew. I like his support, and I like Akko thinking about herself and Diana. I hope you liked that last scene.
> 
> Ah, damn! I wanted to add about two thousand more words and introduce two characters I have been dying to insert, but... time is a tyrant. I will have to cut it short. I want to personally thank whoever read, left a kudo, a bookmark and a comment, last chapter was an all-time high for good comments (looking at you, unableToSleep, tinydaydream and Bubbles) and I know when we will reach an even higher emotional and drama point, and I cannot wait to push the story forward... damn. This really is a tough month for me. I also will have to update Unspeakable.
> 
> All in all, looking forward to your comments, and thank you for your enduring support on this silly tale of mine. I hope you had fun, and I will see you soon, most likely this saturday.  
> Best of wishes from your author.


	18. XVIII - Three departures

Constanze seldom spoke, often listened, and always learned. This was, she had decided, an unusual winter. It had onset earlier than usual, and already the tops of the mountains circling the Iron Tower were glistening with snow, and the hills with brine. But it was not a happy glistening, like the one she remembered from the last time in Luna Nova, back when she was still a student there.

Looking down from the great height of the tower’s main window, she shuddered in her grey robes. Luna Nova surely had a better climate. And yet this was a chill of her own heart. She had not sent a letter in months. Jasminka must be worried. Amanda as well. They were her friends, and she hoped they might still be. She ought to contact them, but sending a raven in this fell winter would provide more death to the bird than good news to her friends.

But yes, this was an unusual winter. At times she woke up in the night, like answering the call of a silent voice, one that seemed to howl from deep down the earth, where light nor hope shone.

She closed the window and backed into the relative safety of the Iron Tower. The abode of the White Witch could withstand everything. No force in the wide world could raise and reach for Constanze, not here. It was safer than Luna Nova, in a way, especially since here there was no Akko Kagari.

Constanze frowned. No. She was being unjustly stern with the brown-haired Witch. Akko meant well, though her efforts were blindingly scattered.

Silently, she took a moment and wished her well.

Still, more present matters needed her care. On any usual day, Constanze would fill her day with studying, cataloguing, and perfecting her self-moving dolls. She had greatly improved ever since she had come here to study under the wing of the White Witch, and yet there was something that still eluded her, and her dolls remained aimless.

She sighed. One thing at a time. She would perfect her designs, and she would get the help she needed. Solitude and embarrassment would be a thing of the past.

Constanze gathered her things. She had never been that adept at potion-making, not like Akko’s dangerous friend, but she was good enough. Dried leaves, roots and pieces of skin from animals. And a few tricks she had picked up, mainly from hints by Professor Ursula. Back then, something had told her they would prove useful under the White Witch’s tutelage, and they had indeed done so.

Her brew finished, she poured it into a tall glass cup: a golden potion with a refreshing smell of freshly-picked oranges, ink, and molten iron. At least, that was what would have seemed to her. To the White Witch, the reinvigorating potion would have smelled and tasted different. Constanze took a torch in her right hand. These past few days magic had begun to feel… odd. Oddly wild, and unruly, and moody, like a pet cat who has forgot about their owner and hisses and spits at them. The White Witch had instructed her to refrain from the use of magic use until the shadow would pass.

Constanze had little understanding of what she meant, but then again, the White Witch often spoke in riddles. And so, she had to walk upstairs through the coiling corridors of the Iron Tower, carved and designed, the White Witch had said, by craftier hands than hers. It was an old place, one that still proudly carried the heritage of the olden times. Before the diminishing of magic, and the disappearance of the Nine Olde Witches. Luna Nova carried that same heritage, but it carried it meekly, and Constanze had long-since decided the meek would not inherit a single strip of land.

Constanze stopped in front of the tall black door. She hesitated before knocking.

No answer.

Sighing, she pushed it open.

There, resting on a tall chair, white vestments spilled over from the outline of a hunched figure. Muttering could be heard in the dark.

Constanze shook her head. Her master had always pushed herself, all the more admirable in the eyes of Constanze, but just before the onset of winter she had fallen into a worry that seemed to gnaw at her heels, never sleeping, seldom eating, and always reciting obscure and forgotten incantations that made Constanze’s hair stand up on end.

“I brought you a potion, Master,” Constanze said as she walked towards the tall chair.

The White Witch had not broken, though, even under the awesome pressure that kept her awake at all times, atop the Iron Tower, interrogating the Stars and singing long-lost rhymes in a language that Constanze did not understand, but that made her long for yesterday, she who had only looked forward to tomorrow. The White Witch had not broken, while she seemed to wage an invisible war that Constanze did not understand. The White Witch spoke of a deep, deep, deep, dark, dark, dark shadow. She spoke of an Enemy. And she spoke of the Nine.

And of the Grey Witch, of course, though only in hushed tones.

But she had not broken.

Until two days before.

Constanze had awakened in the middle of the night at the terrible shriek that had seemed to shiver through the tower and unbolt it at its hinges. Fear and rage and something else, something that Constanze could not understand in her young life was vibrating in that cry.

 _Chariot_! Constanze had heard the White Witch scream.

When she had come to check on the White Witch, she had found her Master barely standing, gripping on her smooth black staff, all light dead around her.

“They have taken her,” her Master had muttered to herself, “they have taken her. The fire is extinguished. She is gone.”

Now she was silent. The last day the White Witch had fallen into a deep silence. She had gathered all her sorrow, and covered herself with it like she would do with a shroud.

“Your potion, Master. It will do you good.” Constanze presented the potion to the White Witch.

Her Master barely looked at her. A strange smile wrinkled her mouth. Her eyes were circled with black, and reddened, like she has just finished crying.

“And here comes the apprentice in my hour of need,” the White Witch said, her voice creaking like newly-built joints. “Ah. You did good, and with no prompting on my side. Yes, you did good. You did good.”

She took the potion from her hands, but made no sign of wanting to drink it.

Constanze said nothing.

She seldom spoke.

She often listened.

“They have taken her,” she just said.

Constanze did not know what to say. So she said nothing.

“I have wrestled with the Shadow long enough to take one last look at her, before she was surrounded. Fool!” She cackled, but there was such pain in that laugh that Constanze winced. The White Witch’s fingers gripped the glass and her knuckled turned white. “Fool! I told her not to go! I told her to wait in the old fastness, and not to show herself! The Enemy would come looking for her! Ah! She is not changed! She is that same foolhardy, brave, steadfast sorry excuse for a Witch that I… that I…”

A pause.

“I could do nothing. The Nine were too fast. Too strong, and their Master was behind them. I could do nothing. I could do nothing!” She cried out, like an excuse. “I failed her.”

She seemed to truly notice the potion for the first time.

“You brought me a potion. You did good. May I propose a toast?”

She lifted the drink in the air.

“To Shiny Chariot. To the Grey Witch. She was foolhardy, and brave like only the stupid can be. She would… she would…”

The White Witch gritted her teeth. Her left hand, still holding her black staff, produced a creaking sound against the wood.

Constanze took a step back.

The room shook. From the depts of the Iron Tower’s foundation to the four shards gathering at its peak, the entire hold shook and cried with the cry coming from the White Witch’s heart.

“ _Chariot_ ”, she whispered, as the shaking subsided.

Silence settled.

Constanze still said nothing. For all her understanding of joints and pullers and strings and cogs and the numbers behind them, the things of which the White Witch was speaking were a foreign land to her.

But even her metal heart was touched by the sorrow in her Master’s eyes.

“And yet,” the White Witch said at last, “as one flame dies, another springs forth.”

Constanze had no idea what she was speaking about. In time, under her tutelage, she had begun to understand some of her Master’s riddles, the way she seemed to always answer with another question. And her knowledge of cogs and the strings that kept all meaning together had expanded greatly. Still, she said nothing.

“What, Master?” Constanze asked as she heard the White Witch mutter something under her breath. Poetry? Maybe some incantation? But she only understood the last two verses:

“… _Seven Stars and Seven Words,_

 _Over the Silver Tree_.”

“What was that?”

“An ancient poem. As it often happens with ancient poems, it proves its usefulness when you least expect it. Ah! I thought the Words long dead. And never to rise again. I have only three, and now the three that she used to bear are lost as well. But we never managed to find the seventh and last. Now they come again, unexpected. And not from Cavendish, as He would suspect.”

“What has Diana to do with all this?”

“Less that I would hope, and more than He would fear.”

“Master… are you feeling better?”

“I am never going to feel better, my young apprentice. I was felled right at the roots. There will be no dawn for me, nor another night where stars will shine as bright. The fire is gone from my life, and all is cold. All shall thus remain.” A pause. “But it matters not. This might prove in fact one crucial element. Nobody knows about the Words yet. Only He does. And He does not know… does not know the one foreign element in His plans, and ours.”

“What element? What plans? I came here to study under your wing, Master, and I only learned you speak in riddles. I made you a potion. Why don’t you drink it?”

The White Witch blinked. She slowly smiled.

“Ah, I am not how she… how she was, am I? Do not possess enough care for things beneath me.”

At Constanze’s stiffening, her smile widened.

“Nor am I afraid to hurt with my words. Tell me, my apprentice. What did you smell when you prepared this potion?”

“I…” Constanze hesitated, she pursed her lips and flushed just a tiny bit. “Ink. Oranges. And molten iron.”

“Ah… I see. Quite fetching, indeed.”

The White Witch raised her glass and downed the potion in one gulp.

“Refreshing and well-made, well-made indeed, my apprentice. Thank you,” the White Witch said at last, setting her hand on Constanze’s shoulder.

She still did not understand her. She seemed to be lost one moment, and now she sprung with energy, also thanks to her potion, but…

“No, you see, Constanze…” the White Witch stood up from the chair and began to take wide strides in her study, “… He is wise. Wise beyond what we may peer. His mind is sheer, sharper than the tip of the Iron Tower, and more overwhelming than all the tides in this world. Everything He assesses with utmost care on the balance of His cruelty. But He has forgotten, or I do believe He has ignored, until now, and maybe now still, as He has only taken heed of Cavendish, of course… as future Head of her House, and Heir of Beatrix… surely, surely, a great threat, but He has not seen the unexpected!”

Constanze looked at her. She had abandoned hope the White Witch would answer her questions. Little by little, she was clarifying everything. She had seldom seen her so excited. It seemed the sorrow of the last two days had allowed her to sharpen her mind to a pinpoint, and she was now pushing past fear and pain to reach a manic flight of excitement.

“The Grey Witch,” and her voice trembled just a tiny bit, “had entrusted Diana Cavendish with something. I was not informed of this, and only found out recently, when the Enemy coiled one of the tendrils of His mind towards Cavendish. Someone else was caught in the crossfire, and I do believe your colleague, Lotte Yannson, suffered the brunt of the exchange. But she is better, not only thanks to me, thought I would like to think _chiefly_ thanks to me. Diana Cavendish was chosen for an important mission. And the Grey Witch had given her a companion… you might know her. Atsuko Kagari.”

Constanze frowned. Why _Akko_ of all people?  She was more known for the things she blew up than anything else.

“And Atsuko Kagari has awakened one of the Words.”

A pause.

“Ah, I see, young apprentice. You would like to know about the Words. And I would love to let you know, to share what I learned through long years of study. But I have not the time. A metaphor will have to suffice: the Words are to magic what flame is to a bonfire. And as the bonfire is dying, the Words might renew it. I bore three. Three more bore the Grey Witch. And the last one we did not find. I think it was not due to my own failings. Surely not! I had great success in everything else! But, alas, the Words seem to have a wisdom of their own, and it surely does not align with mine. And now, as Diana Cavendish was entrusted with this special something, the Words come up, and come up by one Atsuko Kagari. So that’s our advantage. For now, for now.”

A long pause followed as the White Witch muttered more secret thoughts under her breath.

Constanze slowly shook her head and took the empty glass. She turned to heed downstairs.

“Constanze,” the White Witch called her. “I may need you to look after my tower for the time being. There might be matters that require my intervention. These are troubling times, and who better than the White Witch to reign the world in? Ah! I think it is indeed the right moment for my wisdom to hold together everyone who stands against the Enemy! Yes, yes, this is the time to act. Wisdom and knowledge, long-stored, now put to fruition, at last. Prepare food rations. I am about to leave.”

Constanze frowned.

“And… will I just stay here?”

“Do as you wish! If you want to study, study! If you want to walk, walk. If you want to come with me, double the rations.”

On the one hand, staying here could provide her with the peace of mind to finally solve the roadblocks on her research. On the other hand…

The source of _all_ magic.

“I will come,” Constanze said at last.

“Good, good. Do as you wish, my good apprentice. It will be a pleasure to teach you along the way.”

Constanze nodded one last time.

On the threshold, she stopped.

“Master?”

“Yes?”

“What did you smell in the potion?”

The White Witch froze.

Once again, a shadow seemed to smear her contours. She took a long breath.

“Bold. Quite bold, apprentice.”

She did not answer.

Constanze took the door.

From behind her shoulder, a soft voice:

“Air after the storm. Freshly-cut wood.” A pause. “And fireworks. Always fireworks.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the slightly-shorter update, but I truly wanted this chapter to focus thoroughly on these two! I wanted to explore Croix's character and her interactions with Constanze, whom has been hinted for a while at having left Luna Nova for more direct tutelage. All that teasing is now satisfied, at last! She was under the White Witch's wing all this time. I hope you liked Croix and her (clear) ties with Saruman, though a Saruman before the last sitting of the White Council (those among you who know your Tolkien know what I am talking about), and thus prideful, flawed, but ultimately still an ally. Will Croix take a turn for a darker path? Will the Enemy seduce her like Saruman was ensnared? Who knows? And will we see Shiny Chariot once again?  
> Maybe in one of the next few chapters you will have your answers...
> 
> Also, next chapter is going to star Akko a lot. You're going to like it, I hope.  
> For the rest,thank you for your conitnuing support to this tale, and I am looking forward to your comments! I want to know what do you think about the White Witch!
> 
> See you soon and best wishes from your author.


	19. XIX - Akko and the art of diplomacy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akko is not as good with words as she is with carts repairing.

 Akko lingered and hesitated in front of Diana’s door. Unlike her own room, which had been in the lazaret – pointless to stay there, as she was now completely healed – Diana had been served a better accommodation. Witch or no Witch, she remained a Cavendish. The door was thick dark wood, beautifully carved. Oh, and beyond that wood Diana was waiting for her, too. Akko had to focus. Her friend needed her, now.

She had to speak to her. Diana liked to talk anyway, so it would be easy. Easy.

Surely there would be no complications.

And still Akko hesitated.

Yesternight she had even promised Andrew she _would_ speak to Diana, would make sure to make her understand, she would explain herself… maybe even talk a little about her strange dream, and what those unknown words she had uttered meant.

This was getting ridiculous.

Akko raised her fist to knock on the door.

No, wait. Maybe Diana was sleeping, she could wake her up and then Diana would be grumpy and that would not be very productive, would it?

No, she’d just call her.

No, wait. What if she was awake, and she heard Akko’s calling her name? She might think she had been waiting behind the door for a long time, fidgeting and being a nervous mess.

Which was actually true, but still…

Or maybe she could write her a letter, and she could put the letter under the door, and wait for Diana to read it, and when she read it she could knock on the door, but just a little, and then Diana would open and the-

“Akko,” she heard behind herself.

“Ah!” Akko started, turning.

Andrew was behind her, a frown upon his face. Oh, goodness! What if he had seen her dawdling and being such an insecure mess, what if he teased her about it, what if he told Dia-

“Akko. You are to come with me, now.” He set his hand on her shoulder.

“W-what? What happened? Shiny Chariot? _Yrch_? Are they invading us?”

“Nothing of the sort. My Father demanded to see you.” He shot a look at the door. “And Diana as well, but I told him she’s not well, and that you both needed time to rest. He ignored my suggestion and commanded me to apprehend the first Witch I would find available. That would be you.”

He dragged her away from the door. Akko tossed one last look at the shut door, now feeling the rising tide of panic mounting.

“W-what? Wait! Why me? Diana can do this a lot better! Just let me wake her up! Just-“

“I will not, and not for lack of trying. Father knows the Cavendish family well, and everything Diana might say would sound to him like little more than an insult.”

“What? Why?”

“Diana’s family and my own have unsolved business, let’s just leave it at that. Whatever diplomatic work Diana may conjure, Father would just dispel in his own heart. No, if he has to be convinced, he needs a fresh face.”

Akko touched her face. Her cheek was warm.

“I am not ready for this! Oh, goodness, I am not ready for this!”

“Nobody ever is, when bravery knocks on our door,” Andrew answered, guiding Akko upstairs, quickly across hallways and ample doors. As they ascended, Akko saw the stairs turn from stone to marble, the windows from simple holes in the wall to decorated pans of stained glass, paintings and bas-reliefs covering the once-empty place. Tall men in armor walked by, nodding in direction of Andrew, and leaving a trail of curious glances at Akko.

Andrew stopped before they passed one threshold, and holding Akko’s shoulders, said:

“Now, Akko. My Father is a proud man. His heart is not in a bad place, far from it, but he has little love for Witches, of any sort. I know you have been chosen for some important mission, but please refrain from speaking about it.”

Akko nodded.

“Ah, and please do not speak of your ties to Diana.”

“What do you mean? I do not have to tell him we are… we are friends?”

“Just say she’s your schoolmate, and that would be it. Any tie to the Cavendish would not look good in the eyes of my father.”

“… alright,” acquiesced Akko.

A pause.

“In fact you should speak as little as possible.”

At last they entered the hall, in silver and white and black, surrounded by ceremonial guards. In the center, sitting at the end of a large table where ministers spoke and argued with themselves, stood a tall and broad man with brown hair, sharing Andrew’s features. He lifted his hand as they came in and in the room silence fell.

“You brought only one,” Andrew’s father said, in a condescending tone. There was no cruelty in his eyes, but a deep enmity that made Akko want to curl behind Andrew and hide. Diana would be much better at this.

“Miss Cavendish is still resting and recovering.”

“Recovering, yes.” He lifted a hand and slowly the table was emptied by the ministers, leaving them alone, Andrew standing next to Akko, and Akko feeling utterly lost. “Recovering from what, I wonder? From bringing _Yrch_ to the gates of Westerndale?”

Andrew’s father looked at Akko, as if expecting an answer. She had none.

“With the utmost respect, Father,” Andrew began, “ _Yrch_ had been chasing them when we found them.”

“You are not one to know much about respect, are you? You would prefer the company of Witches to those of your own people. I have regretted many times that I allowed you to befriend Diana Cavendish. But what is done is done. And who do you bring here? Who is she?”

This time, Akko received no support.

She hoped she did not look too ridiculous, with her eyes bulging out due to the pressure, fidgeting and shuffling her feet on the marble floor.

“I, uh, my name is Akk- _Atsuko_. Atsuko Kagari. I am at my last year at Luna Nova. Diana Cavendish is my classmate and we are friends and nothing else, I assure you. We have only been friends for one month, tops.”

Andrew’s father chuckled.

“Amusing. But the touch of the Cavendish twists everything they touch, quickly if they are close, slowly if they are far. The result is ultimately the same.”

Akko had not been sure she liked Andrew’s father, but she was now positive she did _not_ like him.

“I… I have known Diana for years, sir,” Akko tried to retort. “She’s a bit tough to deal with at times, but she’s… she’s…” Akko hesitated. Could she really tell him how… what she… what Diana did at the hot springs, what she almost did when she embraced her on the bed, yesterday? “She’s brave,” Akko said in the end. This she was sure. She had seen it. “She’s steadfast and she’s only trying to do her best. I do not think you have the right to speak like that about her. Sir.”

The thin silence that followed, pressing against Akko’s ears from all around, sounded like she had made a mistake.

“I did not know young Witches to be such a source of amusement,” Andrew’s father retorted, shaking his head. “I might keep one or two, then, to lighten the darker moments of my day. Being talked back in my own halls, while my own son stands next to one of your… kin. That is a source of laughter, and a source of grief, nonetheless.”

He sat down again. Akko did not like that man, but for a moment in his green eyes passed a tired shadow, and Akko had the impression that shadow had crossed his gaze many, many, times in the last few years.

“Darkness is growing, my dear young Witch. Every day it knocks closer to my gates. And as I am trying my hardest to push back, you slither Cavendish under my door, you turn my own son against me, and you pretend to reduce my worries to laughing matter. I have no time for games, as it might have crossed your young mind. I do have patience with youngsters and people who know no better, but you haul from Luna Nova. Are not Witches supposed to be a repository of knowledge, if eldritch and twisted? Now speak, and speak truly: _why are you here_?”

Akko’s hands shook. For all these weeks she had been away from Luna Nova, and from the terror that standing there, words hanging out of her mouth, trembling and racketing her head for an answer. She was once again in her class for a moment, trying to find an answer while Professor Finneran looked at her with anger, and it seemed to her to see azure eyes peeking out from blonde bangs, pity and disappointment shining in them like an ill light.

“I… uh…” What could she say? Could she speak of the box? But they would try and open it, and Professor Ursula had said _not to do it_ , no matter the cost. Or could she speak of that… that shadow, she too had encountered? But if Andrew’s father was so paranoid about it, it would only make him angrier.

She tossed a glance at Andrew, but he was mute and still like a statue, and offered no help. Maybe he just couldn’t.

What would Diana do in this situation? She would probably know what to do: she was a Cavendish! She had all the gifts! Why did this happen to her? She only knew how to light a fire and a shoot arrows and…

“I am here because,” Akko said after a moment, something taking shape in her mind, “I am here because… because I was hit by arrows, sir.”

That seemed pretty stupid, and a few snickers did echo in the room, but Akko was used to snickering. As long as it did not come from Lotte, Diana, or Professor Ursula, she was fine.

“We were running,” Akko began to recount. Maybe the only solution in this case would be to tell the truth. It was not easy, also because her memory from those terrible hours was hazy and many holes littered it. “We were running away. I had been shot, and could not fight back. I usually use a bow, and I think I am pretty good with it. It belonged to my Father, but it got broken in a fight against wolves. We were running, and Diana wanted us to come here, because we could find rest and refuge. I… that’s the reason. We were running, and scared, and hungry, and wounded. That’s all. Sorry if it is not enough.”

Whispers rose in the room as the dignitaries and ministers interpreted Akko’s words.

“You said you had been shot, and words came to me of a shoulder, thigh and side wound. And yet you now appear in front of me,” Andrew’s father said, “no worse for wear. Are you a liar?”

“No! D-Diana healed my wounds, that’s all!”

“Thus, either Diana Cavendish did not consider our healers to be as good as she liked, or she honed her talents to herself and to her own kin. Whatever usefulness Witches may have they only share among each other.”

“No! Diana… Diana is not like that! She only healed me because… because…”

 _Because she wants me_ , was the thought, but Akko could not say that, could she? And it was only part of the answer.

“Because she’s my friend! She can be friends with a lot of people, but healing was tiring for her! Her wand has been broken and she had to resort to singing, or something… I don’t know! Don’t ask me things I do not know, please! Diana is a good person, and you would know it if you’d allow her to speak!”

Akko was now too worked up to stop herself.

“I…I was summoned here without a word and for what? I was _scared_ and I got hurt and my new friend is… is…”

 _I want you_.

“She’s… confusing me a lot! And there’s this bad guy around and all this darkness and I did not even write a letter to my friends, and I do not know what to do but I am trying to help them at the best of my strength! And hiding behind walls is not going to help anyway! And you should work together with us, not against us! What did _Witches_ ever do to you?”

“Nothing,” Andrew’s father slowly answered, his eyes shooting up at the ceiling, like he was finding his answers written there. “They did nothing, young one. That was precisely the problem.”

It was at that moment that Akko noticed Andrew’s father bore no golden ring on his hand, but one could see, faded, a thin strip of whited-out skin around his left index finger.

_Oh._

“And you probably would not know, or you would have answered differently. Trying to coax me into helping Luna Nova with empty promises and false hopes. The promises of your kind are like cobwebs, little one. They amount to nothing, and are shredded by the wave of a hand.”

Silence fell once again.

Andrew said nothing. He seemed altogether alone, and Akko could not reach to him. He tensed his shoulders, but no word escaped his lips.

“Now, little Witch,” Andrew’s father said once again. “I will ask once more, and for the last time. Why are two Witches in my city? And why is one of them a Cavendish?”

 

-

 

Diana was all alone in her room, accompanied only by the gloomy presence of her regret, hanging all around her like a wet blanket, keeping her head down and her shoulders heavy.

It was not just due to the healing song. It had been tiring, for sure, draining, for without a wand to redirect her magic and focus it, she had to use her own body and the meager prowess she possessed in singing. But she had recovered hours ago.

The blankets were heavy and warm, and they shielded her from the outside world, a world that Diana was not that sure she wanted to have anything to do with, not anymore.

Her life had been on track, once. Difficult, demanding, but on track. She carried on her duties, and that was it. She studied. She was top student. She was a _Cavendish_. With everything that entailed.

Then this mission.

Akko.

The wolf, opening its maw to devour her.

Akko had saved her life, but there was something else, there, was it not?

Akko had always been there, in the background, a noisy, annoying presence, pestering Diana with her childish idea of a _rivalry_ between the two of them, something that the first time had made Diana let out a genuinely pitied laugh.

And yet, was that not what she had been running away from?

Was not that same venomous arrogance rooted in her on home, right then?

Diana sighed under the blankets.

She must have scared her away.

She had been arrogant: Diana Cavendish offered her friendship, her kinship.

The warm touch of her skin.

The soft pounding of her desire.

The muffled cries of her pleasure.

All that she would offer to Atsuko Kagari, and more: Akko only had to reach for her hand, and follow it as she took off her white vestments, and she would reveal herself fully.

Diana had never ever thought about anything like, for all the time she was in Luna Nova. She used to have a destiny, she used to have a _purpose_. Beyond everything, beyond hope and redemption.

And now… it was not just because Akko had saved her, of course.

No, Akko perdured in the face of the Enemy. She had taken the brunt of His malice, and escaped mostly unscathed. And Akko had offered her friendship and her care, just like that, no strings attached, with a clarity so shiny it was hurtful.

Would a person like that take the shattered remains that were Diana’s own life?

It was Akko’s own choice, in the end.

She would not come.

Diana slinked down beneath the blankets.

Her other hand a vice grip against the iron box.

She could still complete the mission, of course. Just jump on a horse, and run like the wind, like the Nine were whispering words of death and pain behind her shoulders, and reach the Iron Tower, and give the White Witch what she wanted. And then?

And then she would turn back and head for her home, her true home, at the roots the mountains; not Luna Nova, which had sheltered her for too long.

Even without Akko.

She would at least prove herself worthy of Akko’s admiration.

And Daryl would pay.

The iron box was hard and cold and sharp against Diana’s skin. She balled her fist.

Oh, she would pay.

She still had no wand.

She would fashion herself one.

And Diana Cavendish would-

“Diana? May I come in?”

Akko.

Akko’s voice froze Diana in her thoughts. She had to blink a few times, her breath sharp.

“Diana? Please?” A knock on the door.

“Sure,” Diana said, and then realized she had been whispering, thus she spoke again, clearer: “Y-yes, Akko. Please come on in.” She wanted to say _Akko dearest_ , but would that not scare her away?

The door opened.

In walked Akko.

She was mournful, her hands playing with the hem of her shirt. Her shadow seemed to linger on the walls.

“Hey,” she said, her voice a sliver. Akko sat on the bed.

Diana felt the fierce impulse to stand up, hold her in, cup her hand in her own, and hold her close, ever closer, shield form whatever evil might be troubling her mind.

But she would probably not accept it, would she?

Diana had revealed too much of herself, too fast. Not even Akko could accep-

“How are you?”

Diana bit her lips. How typical of her. She would ask about her own health before anything else.

“I am fine,” and it was somewhat true. She should be quick and to the point. She would not hide behind a brick wall of words, like last time. And already she felt naked.

Akko’s breath rang softly for three times.

“Yes, I can see that. Uh, I’m fine as well. Thank you for healing me.”

“It was my duty,” Diana replied. She moved a tuft of hair out of her forehead. “And my pleasure.”

“I wanted to talk,” Akko said.

Diana’s heart jumped in her throat.

 _Here it comes,_ she thought, bracing for the blow. In the end, Daryl had been proved right. Akko would push her away. She would fall back into her glassy shape as Cavendish, and never be Diana again. But she would let Akko speak. She would not rob her of-

“I am sorry,” Akko said, and Diana’s world turned on itself. Once again.

She could not speak.

She could not think.

Only listen.

To her throbbing heart, and to Akko’s words.

“I am sorry I pushed you away yesterday. I know you, uh…” and the dawn flashed on Akko’s cheeks as they tinged red, “… you kinda like me. Sort of. Like a friend, and more.”

Diana inhaled.

“I do,” she simply replied. “I do. I do care.”

“I know. Uh, problem is…” Akko scratched the back of her head, “I, uh… this is all so confusing. I don’t know, Diana. Until last month we hated each other. And now you say you want me. And there are those odd words I said. And that dream I had. And there’s more… but…”

Akko brushed her hands together.

“You, uh, w-want me? You said.”

Diana’s hardened twin knobs of pleasure on her chest answered that question for her. The throbbing of her heart flew from her head to her chest to tumble down towards her stomach and lower. She had always been in control of her urges.

Akko was beyond that, it seemed.

“I do,” she breathed out. “I do. I do want you.”

“Yes, you see, that’s the problem.” Akko seemed to struggle as if against a great wind. She could not stand straight. She bent forward and to her right, hiding herself from Diana. “What if… what if you do not want me anymore?”

Diana’s mouth hang limp.

“I mean! It’s all happened so fast! How can I know you are not going to go back, to… to… I have never been good with magic, Diana! I am not good _enough_! What if when we go back to Luna Nova I… I… fail! And if I fail I…” Akko took her head in her hands. “I do not want to see you look at me like before! I could not bear it! I’m sorry! I do not want that! I do not want to be a nuisance!”

“Akko…”

“No, stop, please! I need to say this out loud and I don’t have much time, we both don’t have much time in fact! I just have to say it! I don’t want to go back to the way things were. I don’t want to go back to being rivals and I don’t want to go back being a failure! I want… I want to be your friend, Diana, and maybe, maybe I don’t even know… but I don’t want you to look at me with disappointment and… and I just cannot bear it!”

“Akko.”

“I don’t want you to look at me like you used to do, before… before the tower, and the wolf, and everything, and I am not sure I will be able to get good at magic ever again, so please do not look down on me, please don’t, not now that I actually want to be your friend… I don’t… I don’t want to lose you…”

Akko fell forward. Her soft hair brush against Diana’s, entangling.

“I don’t want to show I am weak, once again. I don’t want to show I am stupid, once again. Please…please tell me you won’t g-get b-bored of me, Diana?”

Diana embraced her.

She drew her close, and had to steel herself for a moment. Akko, so close to her, was sending all sort of thoughts tumbling through her mind. And she was just wearing a thin layer of cloth.

So close…

But she had to keep a clear head. If she ever needed in her life, now it was the moment. Maybe all her training had been for this one instant with Akko, here.

“Not if I lived one thousand lives,” Diana began to reply. “Not if I walked all the way to the frozen northbridge, to the screaming ice and south to the burning desert under the strange stars, not if I lost myself in the waves of the Inner Sea of the East… nowhere would I meet something that could make me forget about you, Akko.” Gently, Diana’s hand rose, brushed against Akko’s, cupped it. “Growing bored? Growing tired? Akko, why do you say these things? You speak so low about yourself.”

“B-but the Professors always said… except for Ursula, but she’s a special case…”

“What ever the Professors said, they had never seen you in action. They only grade you for a test, they had not seen you face the Enemy and come back alive, and sane, and whole, and unspoiled. That’s beyond the greatest practitioners of magic. They have not seen you shoot a wolf and save the life of your companion.” Diana’s fingers entwined with Akko’s. “They have not seen your determination. Or your laugh. Or your lack of modesty. Ah, kindest Beatrix, that makes me wish to take you here and there, and cover you with all the affection I possess, until you cannot stand up until I know every inch of your body like the palm of your hand. Do not be shocked! I do desire you, of a burning heat, in fact, and not just due to your deeds. For you a beautiful, Atsuko Kagari, and I do wish to hold you close. And if I ever frowned at you, it was in foolishness and anger. Anger at myself.”

“At y-yourself?” Akko almost could not speak through the reddened choke that seemed to have covered her face.

“How could you disparage your talents so?” Diana replied, shaking her head. “I saw your passion, and your good heart. But mostly I saw what I cold have done, had I not fled. I saw one who faced her own monsters. Luna Nova had long been a refuge for me, a hiding place. A home where I could forget about my actual home. For three years I belated my confrontation. It now grows nearer. I will not escape anymore. I want to be worthy of you, Akko.”

“Worthy of m-me?”

“Worthy of the young brave girl who saved my life. Worthy of the person who faced her own roadblocks instead of running away from them. I saw what I could have been in you. You inspired me to take a decision.” Diana turned her head eastward, for a moment. Towards the mountains, towards her lost home. “Yes! I will go East, and I will claim my heritage, once this mission is completed. And I would want, once it will be over, for you to think a little better of me.”

Akko fidgeted.

“I already think good of you. I-I believe so. Pretty good. A lot.”

Diana had been so stupid. It was not her fault. Well, not completely her fault.

Once again, Akko had burned through every shadow of doubt and hate she still coiled herself with. Echoes of treacherous, poisonous words disappeared when she was next to Akko.

Diana, emboldened by Akko’s words and her own desire, drew her closer and closer still. Akko was so warm, so close.

And Diana was so greedy.

But Akko was _allowing_ her to be greedy.

Could she treat herself to a morsel?

A bite?

“I want to see your smile, Akko. I want to see your eyes shine. I want to hear your soft breaths, broken by pleasure alone. I want to mark all of your skin with my lips, like ink does the page. I want to be the one whom you call home. For I am a Cavendish, but I am Diana, first of my name. I am a greedy Witch.”

Diana put a hand against Akko’s cheek.

“I feel so greedy right now.”

She leaned forward.

“And I want you all to myself.”

Akko held up her hands.

Diana froze.

Had she made the same mistake? Come on as too forward?

But Akko, though blushing, had a small smile on her face. Maybe she was not being rebuked. Maybe…

“I…uh, I think this is all interesting. Very interesting, really. I…uh I like you, Diana. As a friend, and maybe more, though I am a little less forward than you are and I tend to get tied up in my words and also I am a little shy and when I get shy I tend to ramble and I get lost in my words and I fidget and oh Nine Witches am I fidgeting?”

Diana chuckled.

“And stumbling.”

She kissed the tips of her fingers.

Every inch of her skin, one at time. There would be a day when she would claim Akko, and have her, and smile contented at her soft cries of ecstasy.

Patience.

“Please do take your time, Akko. I do want to get there with you. Still, know my fire burns ever hotter, and I would wish for nothing more than to…”

Diana put her mouth to Akko’s ear, and she let hot, hot, hot, words drip, drip, drip, into Akko’s ear. Akko’s face turned beef red, before she shook her head.

“No, wait! That’s… I'd actually like that, how did you know? And that thing with your, uh… that thing! That is cool! But, uh, there’s a bit of a problem.”

“Akko, if this is about your past experience, know that I can be most gentle, and in fact would desire nothing but…”

“Nonononono…” Akko waved her hands furiously, glancing at her door. “No, it’s just that, uh, while you were resting, I was summoned to speak with Andrew’s father.”

 _Oh_.

“I… see. And are you worried about his reaction?”

Akko chuckled nervously.

“Not much to be worried about anymore. I, uh, kind of made him mad. Not my fault! He kept on insulting you, and I would have nothing of that. So, we had a bit of a fight. I might have yelled a bit. And, uhmmm…” Akko fidgeted _really_ hard, like she was trying to knit her fingers together, “we have half an hour to leave the city. Starting from, uhm… half an hour ago.” Akko blushed even hard. “Sorry for not saying. I wanted to make up first.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked this chapter! I tried to make it extra sweet and with a bit of... interest on the part of Diana. She's definitely interested in Akko. And the shipping is truly starting in full force! Finally. It is a great satisfaction for me to be able to post this chapter after fifty hours (and more actually) of work this week. It is a good job but damn it is draining! So please enjoy this chapter to the fullest! At about 5000 words it is also quite extensive. 
> 
> Oh, and thank you for your continuing support. I especially want to thank veramoray for the plethora of comments you left! That was amazing, turn the phone up and see TWELVE new comments on TWW! Definitely one of the high points of the week. It is people like you who keep me going, really. I hope I will see your comments in the future. And also thank you all, really. Readership has really picked up asof late (and we crossed 4000 views! Thank you!). I had no idea we would come this far. Please keep on supporting this story. 
> 
> Please leave a comment to let me know what yout think. I will take my time to answer all the comments I received, but for now I only want to go to bed. I will see you soon. 
> 
> Thank you, and hope you enjoyed your Akko and Diana.


	20. XIX (Bonus) - Armoring grace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diana + armor x Akko = ?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Ara, ara..."

One thing that Akko had not considered, not even in her wildest dreams, was _how good_ Diana Cavendish looked in armor. She had put on a light coat of mail, argent and glistening even in the dim light of torches. And yet it did not seem to shine as much, in Akko’s eyes, as Diana’s blonde hair, nor was it as bright as her azure eyes as they looked for the next strap, securing the mail to her body. It had not been built for a woman, nor for a Witch, and so it tended to hang a little loose around her shoulders and waist, and yet it did _things_ to Akko’s heart that she could not categorize.

She was getting sort-of-used to having Diana this close.

Sort of.

But this as a whole new level. Maybe if she did not breathe… yes! That was a bright idea! Maybe if she did not breath she would just pass out and would not be forced to confront Diana and the-

“Akko?”

“Present!” Akko barked, before her scrambled brain could remind her she was not at school anymore.

Diana blinked.

“Uh? I was just wondering if you could help me with this strap. I can’t reach behind my back.”

Akko’s mind was a crystalline pond. A crystalline pond in which a herd of elephant had come dashing into, running amok and shattering the clear surface in an inferno of waves.

A stupefied smile began to dawn on her lips. Could she be blamed? Diana Cavendish could not possible have asked her… to… _to_ …

“Akko, _dearest_? Is something wrong? Ah! It must be the air of this dungeon. Let us go back outside, posthaste! It is not fitting for you to breathe this foul ai-”

Akko muttered something. It did not register, not to her ears, not to her brain. Inside her mind, the herd of elephants had begun to twirl on the spot, dancing and smashing metal plates against each other to a silly tune.

“Akko! Please do tell me, are you in danger? You are so red! Both your face and ears! Akko! Why are you panting so heavily?”

Maybe it was having Diana so close, but that was enough to dispel – if a little – the image of the elephants from Akko’s mind. She blinked, and came back, and Diana was holding her hands.

“L-lewd,” Akko managed to mutter as she saw Diana’s warm, soft hands holding her own.

Diana frowned slightly, her azure eyes searching over Akko’s face for a sign of-

And then she blinked, and a spark went off in her eyes, and Akko almost _saw_ it, and she now knew that Diana knew that Akko _knew_ , and that meant she was in sudden and terrible, terrible danger.

 _Powers protect me_ , was the last thought Akko had, before Diana’s lips curled into a grin, and she pushed even _closer_.

“Oh my, oh my,” she purred. “Had I known this was the effect a simple coat of mail would have had on you, Akko, _dearest_ Akko, I would have worn it each and every day. I would have walked down the corridors of Luna Nova in full set of armor, only to see you blushing as red as you are now. It looks like the most stunning sunset went to rest upon your face, Akko.”

“L-lewd,” was all Akko managed to say.

It seemed like the Powers were in no hurry to protect her.

“I ought to be a bit disappointed, though,” Diana chided. “I have showed you the graces of my body with the bare protection of a thin layer of cloth, and you were not as bothered as you are right now. Do you fawn this way over every maiden in armor, Akko? Or is it just me? Am I not pretty enough? Please do speak your mind.”

“L-l-lewd.”

“And I am so greedy,” Diana said once more, cupping Akko’s chin in her left hand and softly closing her mouth. Her thumb brushed against Akko’s lower lips and Akko _jolted_ , like hit by one of Sucy’s potions. “I would have you here, all for me, Akko dearest.”

Diana’s face was becoming larger and larger, closer and closer. Weakly, Akko walked back, but Diana held her by her own hands, and by the way there was something in the way she wore that set of mail coat that made her _weak_. Weak in the knees.

And in some other, uh, places.

“I, uh, Diana,” she tried. “I wanted to speak with you about some stuff. About the mission, you know.”

“Behind these walls there is no mission.”

“Then about the dreams I had…!”

“You are the only dream I care about.”

“And what about those words!”

“I do not wish for your lips to _speak_.”

And then suddenly Akko could not go back anymore. Treacherous and unmovable, the walls of the dungeon trapped her between hard rock and… and…

“Because I do _want_ you, Akko, sweetest. I told you so many times and I am now going to tell you as much in touch and caress, not just with words and whispers. Maybe this way you will be able to give a better reply?”

 _L-lewd_.

Diana’s fingers moved further up, letting go of her chin, and caressing now her cheek, holding her in place, for…for…

Diana’s eyes were so deep and azure and large and oh-so-inviting, and Akko almost felt like she was falling right into them and she felt like something was pulling her forward, and her eyes moved to look at Diana’s lips, and _oh Powers_ _oh_ _sweet forefathers of my land, is this the moment when I_ -

“Gibbets and crows!” The door to the dungeon opened, revealing an angry Andrew, pointing at them. The white blade of light from the morning light came to fall right against Akko and Diana. “Are you finished with your-”

The world froze.

Andrew’s finger did not move.

Akko did not move.

Diana’s other hand did move. It left her side to coil around Akko, pushing Akko even closer.

 _G-greedy_ , thought Akko.

“I see you need a little more time.”

Andrew closed the door.

Torches and firelight and the flame inside Akko’s body, the golden flame licking at her chest and stomach and dripping down below in honeyed drop, was once more the only light in the room.

“In all seriousness, though!” Came Andrew’s voice from behind the door. “Just finish! If you do not get your supplies _at once_ , you will be forcedly removed by my father’s personal guard! Please be quick!”

Diana sighed, and slowly let go of Akko.

“I apologize,” she said. “I ought to wait for a better moment to… try and show you how much I care, Akko. My lack of discipline befalls me once more. I beg you to bear patience with-”

“Uh, uh, actually,” Akko replied, finding some hidden source of strength. “Actually, that was not so bad. A little lewd, with all the handholding. I was, uh, a little scared. But excited-scared. Uh, I mean not excited in that _way_. Or, uh, maybe a little. But I…” she took a long breath. “This is my fault. I, uh… I like armor. A lot.”

Diana took her hands again. She put the softest kiss upon the tip of her finger, so soft Akko thought she had imagined it, if not for the warmth spreading from them.

“I can see that, Akko. Let us move the rest of this conversation when we will be able to finish it, then?”

“Uh, yes I could do that.”

“And maybe this time you can help me by taking my mail coat _off_.”

The door was opened, once again. A sweating Andrew looked at the two of them.

“Diana! By all that is dear, are you two finished? The hallway is full of soldiers! We have to… uh, why did Akko faint?”

Diana slowly shook her head. She passed her finger over Akko’s cheek, once more.

“May the Nine take me if I know,” she replied, and the dim light hid her grin well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my, oh my. I apologize for the short update. This week I had to work more than usual (though it was profitable!) and I have to see my family on the weekend so I could not advance the story that much. But I did want to give you an update, so I produced a little omake, which you have just read. I would love to know what you think about it: I think I am *terrible* at comedy. I can do tension, horror, action just fine, erotica is... eeeeeeh- and comedy is by far the hardest of the genres I deal with. I hope I managed with this little piece.
> 
> Now, that said, thank you for your awesome support this week! Your comments keep me up, and there are few more precious feelings that hearing that little *ping!* of a new mail certifying a new comment on this story! Thank you again and I hope you will keep on following and supporting these twos and their wandering adventure... maybe even a little more now as Diana is getting bolder!
> 
> Also, bonus points to the first who spots the glaring, yet subtle, reference to LOTR hidden in this bonus chapter.
> 
> See you soon with the continuing adventures of our favourite Witches! Cheers, have a great weekend!


	21. XX - Seven Stars and Seven Words

Andrew dropped them off at the edge of the forest, because further he would not go.

“At last, we must depart, young Witches!” He declared, slowing down the horse in front of the brambles and bushes. “I will not go into the woods, not of this kind. You can still take the road, though, it is not too late.”

“The road would get us exposed,” Diana said, jumping down gracefully. Akko took her time, making sure she did not sprain an ankle as she touched the ground. Diana tried to help her by giving her a hand, which Akko took with a grateful smile and a slight blush. “And just a few night ago the Enemy knew our position. The forest is more dangerous, but I can deal with wolves and _Yrch_. Not so much with the Nine.”

Andrew nodded.

“Sound, though not at all safe. I leave you now, then. Did you take everything?”

“As much as we could,” Akko replied, looking at their bags. They had packed light. Akko’s own new mail coat tinkled under her vest. It was not as heavy a she had expected. It would not protect her from the worst, but it could hold back against many a blow. She felt safer, and not just thanks to the mail. Next to her, Diana wore the same mail coat, and the self-assured expression Akko had once been so used to. It was now sterner, and yet so much sweeter.

“Ere you depart, let me give you one last thing!” Andrew reached for his back, and took off his bow. He passed it to Akko. “This is for you. It has served me well in my youth, and though it is not as strong as those I use right now, it is precise, and it has felled many a _Yrch_!”

Akko took the bow in her hands. It was warm, and the wood seemed to respond to her touch. She cocked an arrow and pulled the string. She smiled.

“It’s great! It holds tension very well! Thanks, Andrew!”

“Do not mention it! Seeing battle again will do it good, and if it can help you protect you or…” his eyes shifted towards Diana, “those you care about, may your aim be truer than most! And now for you, Diana.”

“Ah,” she interrupted. “I also wanted to apologize. I had taken for granted your help, and your kind words. I did not take great strides to make sure we were well-received in Westerndale, nor was I able to leave you with gift nor counsel. I wanted to express my deepest sorrow over my behavior. I was-“

Andrew waved his hand.

“You are and have always been a friend, Diana. You don’t need to excuse yourself, though the attempt was well-received, and it speaks of your good heart. Worry not!” He produced a long wooden shaft from his bag. “I wanted to give you this. It’s from an ancient oak. I had wanted to carve a scepter out of it, but I think you may put it to better uses. Oak is strong in Witch-lore, is it not?”

Diana blinked, accepted the gift.

“Indeed it is. Oak does not bow to cold, nor does it bow to evil. It will be able to withstand the malice of the Enemy better than my old standard wand. This is a princely gift, Andrew!”

“It is princely in your hands, Diana.” He winked. “I only lost a piece of wood. Now be on your own way, you two! The Sun is still high, and Berg is close, but you still have many dangerous leagues ahead of you!”

“Please remember to send our letters!” Akko shouted at him. “And thank you again!”

“I will make sure they reach your friends! Now go, stay safe, and fear no darkness!”

The horse turned, Andrew waved, and disappeared behind a curve.

They were alone once again.

But, Akko thought, it was not so bad. Their bellies were full, their bags restocked, and their hearts high once again. They could make it. Yes, Akko felt like they were going to make it.

 

-

 

“We are never going to make it!” Whined Akko for the umpteenth time as she sloshed in the mud. The forest had slowly given way to a wide marsh, in which they have been trying to walk, for a given definition of walking, for what must have been hours. Diana preceded her, her hand holding up a lantern. From time to time she muttered some words holding out the oaken stick, but it did not seem to spark any magic. Then again, Diana might just be following her hunch.

Akko’s stomach grumbled. She was cold, and wet, and hungry, and she only wanted some hard place where to sit down and rest. They had been in the mud so much she had forgotten the memory of putting her foot on real soil.

“This way, Akko,” Diana replied with patience. “I am confident it is the right path. Do not follow the lights!”

From time to time, Akko had seen wandering lights in the marshes. They had been pretty, and she had tried to touch one of them, immediately held back by Diana. Akko had seen real fear in her eyes as she had dragged her away from them.

“They seem tame,” Akko replied. She desperately wanted to speak about something that was not mud, or losing their way. “And they are pretty. I wanted to see if they are warm. I am cold.”

“They would not warm you,” Diana replied, “they would just lead you into the deepest places, where the water is murkier, and deep dark things wrangle their fingers below the mud. You would not come back from chasing those lights, Akko. Let them burn alone! They are cold and uncaring.”

“W-what sort of things under the water?” Akko looked down in the weed-covered water, excepting a fanged mouth to bite her.

“Things that sleep beneath the mire,” Diana simply replied. “They are not in league with the Enemy, but they are clever and strong, and I do not wish to put ourselves in danger. I do not wish to put _you_ in danger.” She stopped and turned to look at Akko. Even wet, branches and leaves and weeds sticking to her clothes like that, she was the most beautiful thing Akko had seen that day, and the day before, and probably as long as she could remember. “Please understand, Akko, dearest. I may have showed my hand a little too much these past few days, but I am only doing so because I care. I do not wish any harm to come to you, and I would do anything in my power to keep you safe. Please take hold of my hand.”

Akko obeyed.

“S-sorry,” she excused herself. “I am still so scatterbrained. I am here whining and you are just trying to help us. I feel so stupid.”

“Curiosity is a fine perk, and most fitting for a Witch. Just, Akko, do not let your curiosity be the kind that killed the cat.”

Akko snorted.

“I see. Thank you.”

Diana’s hand was warm, and it filled her heart with confidence as they sloshed through the mire.

“I kinda forgot,” Akko said after a while. “Father used to tell me about the evil monsters of springs and rivers and marshes. They are cunning. Maybe their kind lives here as well.”

“Maybe. Most of the stories parents tell us are legends, but in legends hides the seed of truth. Take the Enemy. His shadow extends across many tales.”

“Yes, but please let’s speak of better things,” Akko replied, holding Diana’s hand a little tighter. “I hate this mud. I want to talk about something better.”

“What about a legend from your own land, then?” Diana prompted.

“Oh! I got a good one! Mother used to tell me about the lady who lives in the Sun and the lord who lives in the Moon. And the Lord loved the Lady, and he chased her across the sky, but the Lady would burn so hot and so bright he could only ever reach her during an eclipse, and he would still burn his body. And this is the reason why the Moon is scorched the way it is.”

“Ah!” Diana laughed. “Makes perfect sense, does it not? Often lovers go to extreme lengths to chase those they fancy.”

“Uhm. Uh, I guess.” Akko was _very_ mindful of how close Diana was, how warm her hand was around her own. Her heart jumped.

Diana grinned.

“Look at me. Diana Cavendish, trying to woo you while we are hip-high into mud. Truly I have fallen from grace.” She shook her head. “Daryl would greatly enjoy my plight if she could see me.”

“Who’s Daryl?” Akko asked.

“My… aunt.”

“You don’t seem to like her very much.”

“There is scarcely anything likeable about her. I would not deem it my fault.”

Akko snickered.

“That reminded me of something Sucy would say. Hey! Andrew spoke about your relatives. He said there was something about…” Akko knitted her eyebrows. She had wanted to speak about lighter topics, but… “… about his mother? And stuff? His father was very angry about it.”

“He ought to. That is also some dark memory. I would rather speak about it another time, if you please.”

“I see. I would love to be anywhere else! Just not in the mud. A meadow, maybe! Luna Nova gardens are great! I always try to fly there. Not that I have much luck. But the wind is nice! I would have a chat with Sucy and Lotte and Sucy would say something offensive and Lotte would get all worked up about that!”

“You truly love your friends, don’t you?”

“Of course! I am sure it’s the same with you and Hannah and Barbara, though they have never been… very nice.”

“I apologize for that as well. Barbara is a sweet girl, but she is wary of showing her vulnerable side. And Hannah is of course devoted, too. But they do love me as a Cavendish as much as they do love me as Diana, I fear.”

“What do you mean?”

“There is friendship, and there is duty. Theirs is a friendly duty, rather than a dutiful friendship.”

“I still do not get it. Too many fancy words.”

Diana giggled. It was a strangely refreshing sound in the wilderness.

“Hannah and Barbara feel it like they _ought_ to be my friends. This means they do try, but they would not try half as hard if I was not a Cavendish.”

Akko would have wanted to say that was somewhat odd, but then she remembered the complex relations in her own land, and Father speaking about duty and honour and all those ties, and she kept her mouth shut. Maybe, once again, they were more similar than she thought.

“Ah! There is a mound!” Diana pointed at a solitary tree in the middle of the marsh, gnawed and hunched, but sanding atop firm land, for once. “We can recover there. Also, I wanted to do something with this,” she said waving the oaken stick, “and it is about time we speak about something, Akko. I have been thinking. I want you to tell me about those dreams of yours.”

 

-

 

The evening fell like a thief, robbing the sun of warmth. The bog retained heat longer than the road would have done, but the morning would be freezing. Diana had arranged branches and what few leaves they could still find around themselves, building a makeshift tent. Akko, who was far more knowledgeable in this sort of thing, had suggested to use a few branches to hold a central shaft instead of trying to put them together in a pyramid, and the resulting structure was indeed solid enough to last them enough for the night. Under the protection of the leaves they built their camp, clothes and sacs where to sleep, provided by Andrew.

“Do you think we will see him again?” Asked Akko in fact, holding the bow he had gifted her. It was not as good as Father’s had been, but it might prove good enough. She only needed to take a few practice shots, but in the middle of the bog it was impossible.

“If the stars guide us,” was Diana’s answer.

“He’s a good friend. I hope I will see them again, you know. All of them. Andrew, Lotte, Sucy. And even the others, like Aman-“ Akko shut her mouth.

“Akko?”

“Sorry, I did not want to mention Amanda. Last time you got so worked up and…”

“Oh. I did, in fact.” Diana brushed away a lock of hair from her forehead and sat next to Akko on a root that Akko had decided would be the ‘living room’ in their little makeshift apartment. “I proffered unkind words about Amanda. I also believe I already expressed my regret, so there is no need to speak about it any longer.”

“Uh, I see. You are a bit red in the face.”

Diana sniffed.

“Akko, dearest, your ability to pick up minute details is wondrous, but could you maybe pair it with a better understanding on the current situation? I… I am quite distressed about my previous outburst.”

“Uh! Oh! I did not want to make you feel bad, it’s just, well, Amanda is a friend! A good friend.”

“A good friend.”

“Hhhhmmm… now the red is a little darker.”

“Akko,” Diana said clasping her hands. “I wanted to change topics, if you allow me.”

“Sure. Just wanted to let you know I found it a bit odd you got so flustered about Amanda. Unless…” Akko’s eyes shifted. “Unless you… you know, that thing… that thing, for me… you also have it with her?”

Diana squared her shoulders.

“Akko. I will have you know that while I do understand her careless attitude may be attractive to the simple-minded among us, I have never entertained the notion. And though I might have called her a fool in a fit of rage, my judgement about her character has not changed, only the way I would express it.”

“Uh, so you still think badly about her.”

“I do not appreciate waste of talent, nor purpose of selfish goal.” She clicked her tongue. “Powers, I do experience enough of that in my own bloodline. No, Akko. There is little love lost between me and Miss O’Neil, and though she is a friend of yours and as such I will refrain myself from speaking my mind in her presence, I do not change my assessment of her character.”

“Uh,” Akko replied as she scratched her head. It did make some sort of sense. “Sort of like I do not like Hannah or Barbara. I mean, they are your friends, but I… I have been teased a lot.”

Diana sighed.

“And I do shoulder part of the blame. Allow me to say that it was only due to negligence, not malice. I am trying to make things right between…between us, Akko.”

Diana, slowly, put her hand atop Akko’s. Akko did not withdraw it. It was a little _awkward_ , because it was Diana’s hand, and it was warm and soft and it felt like her stomach had been tied in a knot, but it did feel good.

So she let her.

“This is all much more complicated than I thought it would be,” Akko said in the end. She took her face in her hands. “I only wanted to meet Shiny Chariot and get good at magic. Then I get spirited away in this mission, and I do find out I can be friends with… with you. And you want to… you want to…”

A glint shone in Diana’s eyes, like a reflection of starlight upon water.

“Believe me,” she interjected, “if the woods knew all I want to do with you and to you, my dearest Akko, every green leaf would turn red.”

“That’s… that’s uh, fancy. A really fancy way to say a really naughty thing.”

“Akko, do not underestimate my talents...”

“As I was saying!” Akko said, taking the conversation back on track, as inside their tent it was a lot warmer all of a sudden, “All this is a bit confusing! But I can deal with confusing, in fact it is even nostalgic, feels like going back to class! And you were saying about my dreams?”

“Your dreams,” Diana replied after a few moments of silence. Her hand rose to coil around the iron box that she carried at her neck. “Your dreams, Akko. Dreams and words. I will need to do something while I speak. Can I?”

“Sure! As long as it is not too fancy and I can understand it!”

“This is not going to be fancy at all. Maybe a little hard, but you can blame it on its old age. I am about to do something that has not been down in a long, long time.”

Diana stood up and held the oak stick Andrew had given her.

“At Luna Nova they taught us words have power.”

Akko nodded. That as much was clear. Though many of them seemed so bent-on on not listening to her.

“It is a correct, though regrettably incomplete statement. A better one would be: words _are_ power.”

“So, like, words are magic?”

“You have seen better magic than the one we play with at Luna Nova, Akko!” Diana’s eyes shone with a passion that Akko had seldom seen. They reminded them of the lakes she had seen in her land, glistening under the moon. “Do you think I healed your words through a spell? Without a wand? Do you think the Enemy would need to use a spell to lay ruin upon the land once more? How can I… fireworks, yes. Do you remember the Grey Witch’s fireworks?”

Something tugged at Akko’s heart. A memory of fire, smoke. Of every thing she had ever loved. Memory, and laying together around fire, and sharing stories, and awe at the glistening sky.

“I do,” she replied.

“Is that not a deeper magic than every spell I had ever been able to cast? Is that not what had led you to Luna Nova?”

“Yes.”

“Than you do see that there are stronger kinds of magic than those found in a book!”

Akko snickered.

“Do you find this funny?”

“No… I… I just never thought I would have heard you speak like this!”

“A welcomed change.” Diana wrung her hands. “A wand makes magic easier, but it also makes it a tool, it narrows it. My family is maybe the last one that still passed down methods to… do things another way. But I do know too little about it. I am not the Grey Witch. I do not have her wisdom. And I am not the White Witch, either. I do lack her knowledge.”

She sat down next to Akko again, twirling the stick in her hands.

“I really only have little more than a hunch, Akko. And a fool's hope. Let me show you something. After that, I do want you to tell me about your dreams. If you… if you still want to, of course.”

Akko scratched her head.

“I do feel a little stupid. They are just dreams. But I did something I do not understand, And I think it is important that I do.”

“Thank you, Akko. Now, look closely, and listen closely!”

Diana took from her bag a waterskin. She opened it, and drawn the stick, she moved the water in a glittering circle of pearl-drops all around the stick.

“Diana… are you using magic? What if…”

“I am using the barest amount. We are shrouded by the marsh, and this… I have to show you this. I might be able to help better after…”

She shook her head.

“No, I will just tell you. Do you remember the words I sang when I healed your wound?”

“A little.”

Akko back then had been a little more preoccupied with the _close_ presence of Diana.

“A little will have to suffice. I asked you to remember the ancient days. And this is just a hunch, but among the many old enchantments my mother used to sing to me, one I never forgot was this…”

And she began to sing. Akko’s breath stopped.

“ _Long-lost Witches,_

_Three times three,_

_What borne them that secret flame_

_Spreading from sky to sea?_

_Seven Stars and Seven Words,_

_Over the Silver Tree.”_

“What… what does it mean? It was beautiful.” Akko was breathing hard. She gripped her chest. Something… it was as if she had lost something, something she did not even know she possessed, or only barely remembered. Like entering into the ancestor’s shrine in her own land, and seeing all their august faces looking back at her, and having a glimpse at the passage of time, and all that was lost. “It’s a beautiful song.”

“It was passed onto me by my mother, and it was passed onto her by her own mother, and so on and so forth, going back to the roots of my bloodline, to Beatrix the Kind.”

“But Beatrix was…”

“That is a conversation for another day. Believe me Akko, I would explain everything to you if I could, but I am really afraid you would fall asleep after the first ten minutes, and as much as I find the idea of you sleeping in my lap tempting, I am not going to entertain the thought.”

“Uh, I…I agree. Sort of.”

“Sort of?” Diana cocked an eyebrow with a slight grin. “I shall have to inquire further. But coming back to your dreams! What did you dream?”

As Akko gathered her thoughts, Diana twirled the stick in her hands, murmuring soft rhymes. They seemed to echo the song she had just finished, about trees and a secret flame and seven Stars and seven Words. With every stanza she finished, the oak peeled back, and from inside silver shone.

“I dreamed of roots, and beginnings,” Akko whispered. She hesitated as the air around them seemed to grow thicker, and colder. Diana seized her hand.

“I am here with you. And forever will be, if you give me the chance. Fear no darkness, and continue.”

 _Diana will not abandon you, lest you abandon yourself_.

Akko nodded.

“Yes. I dreamed of deep, deep roots, the roots of a huge grey tree, stretching from the foundations of the earth to the farthest reaches of the sky. And the tree was in bloom, and in that bloom was magic.”

Akko whimpered. Something drip-dropped on the ground.

“I am crying,” Akko said as she touched her cheeks. “Why?”

“Because what you are telling is not a happy tale, is it?”

“No… I… I saw him. Deep down, even as the tree was blooming. Something… gnawing at the roots, coiled around it. It reminded me of that mold that once grew all over Sucy’s plants. But this thing went deeper than mold. And the tree had to be felled. And still that thing gnawed in the darkness, vengeful and alone.”

Diana nodded as she gave one last twirl to the stick. It was now half-brown and half-grey, the silver design etched in minute details. Akko counted seven flowers covering its length.

“You dreamed of the Silver Tree, Akko. These days much of what was once knowledge is lost, and remnants survive elsewhere. In old silly rhymes, as you have just seen. Before the first Darkening, the Tree bloomed, and with it all sort of magic. But the Enemy came, and it coveted the Tree. Witches stopped it, paying a great price. The Tree had to be felled, and hidden. And still the Enemy gnawed at its roots. Now He has gathered His strength again, and is ready for a second Darkening.”

Diana shook her head.

“The strength of Witches is but a pale reflection of what it used to be. We would not be able to oppose Him directly, as we once did.”

“There must be a way! I will not sit here waiting to be eaten by some monster!”

“That,” Diana pointed the stick at her, “is the right attitude. Chief among the weapons of the Enemy is fear. Fear, and apprehension for those we hold dear, twisted into blind desperation. Nor will I slink away to hide in the hills. I have someone I hold dear and whom I truly want to protect, from this darkness and all those that may come further.”

“Uh,” Akko replied as she scratched her nose, “… are you speaking about… you know...”

Diana answered with her sweetest smile.

“Akko, dearest. You are getting better at this.”

“Uh! Can we go back to the part about the scary monsters? I can deal with that a little better right now…”

“At once. But it is the same, is it not? Your endearing heart, Akko.”

“I do not understand.”

“Maybe it is better this way, for now.” Diana shook her head. “Ah, I apologize. I speak like I have all the answers, and I have none! I have no idea what those words you uttered meant. I only have the barest knowledge about the Silver Tree. We would need to look for the White Witch’s help once we reach her. I still need time to think!”

“Yes, uhm… I think so too.”

But Akko was thinking, actually, to that far-away morning in Professor Ursula’s tower, when she had touched her chest and had said _it’s thanks to your heart_.

“What about that stick? Is that your new wand?” Akko said, trying to change topic. Diana’s smile let her know she was only getting a momentary reprieve.

“It is an attempt at one, Akko. Creating a wand takes time, it is a matter of months. I merely layered some old songs into a stick. But, yes, I think you could call it a wand.”

Diana closed her eyes, and in the darkness, a dim green light shone from the tip of the wand, as ifa firefly had come and sat on it.

“I am not going to do anything more than this for now. But this-“

“Diana,” Akko interrupted her. She had seen something in the light. She put a few of Diana’s hair into her hand. “Your… your hair.”

“Ah, yes. It is of no consequence, I assure you.”

“Don’t speak like that! It’s a grey streak! You… what did you do?”

“Wandless magic is a highly-unstable field, Akko, you have to understand…”

“What did you _do_?”

Diana sighed.

“Nothing more than what I said. Healing songs take a lot out of me. Creating a vessel strong enough to withstand the Enemy’s gaze when it is focused on me… I did use one of the strongest songs I know, Akko. Sacrifices had to be made.”

“What is going to… something bad is going to happen?”

“Not at all. I might have just bartered a few months of my life for a few more spells.” Diana shrugged, like it was nothing important. “I have made worse exchanges.”

Silence.

“Akko…”

“How much?”

“Akko, dearest, I…”

“ _How much_?”

A sigh.

“Fourteen months. I think. Maybe fifteen.”

“You spent _one year and more_ of your life on…”

“Now please do understand me, Akko.” Diana’s voice lowered, turning sharper, though, like a sword that does not glisten to the light anymore, but it is present still. “I take this mission quite seriously. And I do take your safety even more seriously than that. I failed to protect you because my last wand shattered when I needed it. What happens if the next time I am in dire need of using magic, and the Enemy is pushing against me, squeezing my will out of my limbs like wine from a grape, I cannot push back? What happens to me? What happens to _you_?”

Silence.

And then:

“You should not be forced to do stuff like that. I am not that important.”

“You _are_ that important, Atsuko Kagari. To me, and to your friends. And I would like you to stop having such a low impression of yourself.”

“I don’t want you to use up any more of your time for me,” Akko said.

It was not her usual cheery, bubbly voice. She held Diana by the shoulders.

“Does that mean you can use your magic, now?”

“Not at will.”

“What… then why…”

“Three spells,” Diana said, lifting her fingers. “I think I have three good spells in this wand, before the Enemy manages to break it.”

“Three… you did all this just for _three_ spells?”

“A single one would have been enough to save your life, three days ago,” Diana replied, cocking her head. “I do not want to go back to that possibility. These are three _safe_ spells.”

“Well I do not want you to turn yourself all dull and grey for… for… that!”

“It’s just hair.”

“It’s not just hair! It’s _you_! I… I…” Akko let go of Diana. “I know you are…” she wrung her hands, “…attracted to me and everything. I just don’t want… I don’t want to wake up one day and see you like this and see you unhappy about it because whatever happened has passed and now you think you wasted your time on me and this sort of stuff!”

Akko balled her fists.

“I am good at hunting. I am great with a bow. I can win at board games. I… I feel great, okay? Better than I ever did at Luna Nova. And this… thing… with… you. Of all people. I do not want to lose it. And I do not want you to regret it.”

“I am not going to regret it, Akko.”

“I do not want you to,” Akko replied.

They did not speak after that. They shared a light dinner, and Diana fell asleep, her new grey strand of hair dangling amidst the blonde locks.

Akko could see it even in the bare light of the moon.

Looking up at what of the sky she could see amidst the branches covering the two of them, Akko wondered if the stars above held any answers.

“ _Seven Stars and Seven Words_ ,” she whispered.

Besides her, Diana slept soundly, holding her new wand.

Akko balled her fists.

Whatever.

Akko would not let Diana's resolution go to waste.

She had found one of those Words, and she was sure they were important.

She was going to find the others.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took my time with this chapter, as it was one of the most important ones. We have had our change of heart with Diana. Akko is a bit of a more complex character. Her motivations are tied in a net of self-doubt, enthusiasm and assumptions, and she is endearing, yes, but lacked (or used to lack) the resolve to look the situation in the face. I hope I managed to show how her goal and Diana's may differ somehow, and how everywhere now, joy is mingled with grief.
> 
> Writing the poem Diana recites has taken me more than I'd like to admit. I wrote the final version on a napkin at the family dinner I was speaking about in last time's notes. I hope you liked it.
> 
> Trying and keeping up the scheduel for this story is harder now that I am working full time, but I alwas loved a challenge and the thought of the story keeps my heart afloat throughout the entire week. Once again that you for your support. I still have not replied to your comments, I would proceed tomorrow, given it is a Sunday. Sorry for not doing it before, the week had been really hectic.
> 
> I hope you liked this chapter! Nothing is ever easy, and love is less easy than most things. I hope you will keep on reading, if anything to know how it is going to end between these two.  
> I am looking forward to your comments. Please make me wake up with a good comment or two! I have faith in you!
> 
> Thank you again, and see you on next Saturday!


	22. Those who wander into a roadblock.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three pages of comic and an announcement. Actually two announcements.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously, don't panic.
> 
> Read the comic from  
> <<<<<<<< right  
> <<<< to  
> left!

 

... and now it is time for me to explain. What Diana is saying is true. _Those who Wander_ is taking a break. The reason is precisely as expoused. When I began this tale, I hoped to reach the volume of readership this is finally getting (that and then some), and I am really glad we are on this together. We are just shy of 5000 views, we have hundreds of comments, and each chapter is read give or take by 3-400 people, starting from about 80 of the earliest chapters. That's yuuuge. I think I am making a lot of people happy by writing this tale.

I even had people coming in and binging the fic! This is amazing!

This is also a problem.

You see, writing something like this, when you write and then publish it right away, is completely different from the way I usually work, which is to revise the story and each passage and scene and word until I get crazy or the story get better (usually both things happen). But I do not feel comfortable having people coming in and reading the story from the start, and finding it full of typos, and a few mistakes here and there... it's like inviting people in your house and there are crumbs everywhere, so you put them under the rug and you sit on it.

And the crumbs grow.

And grow.

So.

It is time to give you a clean house, and I am taking a short break -two weeks- to clean the story up (it _is_ 60K words after all, not peanuts). Next chapter, which is already half-written, will be published in roughly two weeks, so think March 30th.

As Diana said, nothing of this would be possible without you. Your appreciation and your support has made my days and I still cannot do anything but humbly thank you for everything you give. I hope this will come back to be a pleasant moment to have at the end of every week.

In the meantime, while we wait for the refurbished version, I am opening up a Q&A section! Want to ask anything about my writing process? The characters? The references? How crazy I really am? Write them in the comments and I will answer them to the best of my abilities: near the end of the hiatus period the answers are going to be published in a special chapter! This way you will have a reason to come back and we will keep ourselves entertained.

 

I also hope my lazy editing of the comic did not leave too many of you scarred.

_See you soon! Can't wait to read your questions!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One final note... for those of you who know the secret ways of the internet and want to know the magic numbers (and thus where to find the comic I edited), well...
> 
>  
> 
> "Sides of a leaf, lighter and darker,
> 
> Legs of a man at the end of his Day!
> 
> Multiply these first two together!
> 
> Now the number of Words name,
> 
> and of the Stars. As for the last one...
> 
> no help, no hint is going to come,
> 
> as no help is needed where is none."
> 
>  
> 
> Happy reading!


	23. XXI - A tea upon the shores

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sweet and sour, yes. Sweet and sour.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The gentle rays of dawn kissed Akko’s eyes open. She kneaded her groggy eyelids. As Diana had predicted, sleeping in the middle of a bog had brought little relief to her bones. The air was damp, and cold, and it hung like a curtain all around her body. Grey pearls of dew covered the leaves, like a memory of stars.

Stars.

And Words.

Ah, yes.

Akko groaned softly. It had been so easy to boast about her chances last night, boldened by Diana’s comforting presence and her soft words. She lay next to Akko, still softly sleeping. She usually was the first to rise, but as Akko’s eyes fell on the new strand of silvery hair peeking from the usual background of blonde, she sighed.

Diana had done so much for her. And she looked so peaceful, sleeping like that. Slowly, trying to elicit the least noise she could, Akko extricated herself from the sheets and the leaves that had covered her body. The air smelled foul, but it was just the usual scent of the bog, nothing that spoke of danger. Not immediate.

They would reach Berg soon, or so at last Diana had said. After that, no more distractions. Maybe they could follow the road and reach the Iron Tower soon. There, they would finally rest. Maybe get another bath… and then she could help Diana in her own quest.

Still…

_Seven Stars and Seven Words_ ,

_Over the Silver Tree_.

Akko could still not understand why her, of all people. She was the Witch with the least magical talent of them all. She did not even have a gimmick, like Lotte with her songs, Sucy with her potions, Amanda with her agility and flying skills. She had nothing, only her bow and her hands. Akko looked down at her ten fingers, wiggling them.

They did not seem to amount to much.

Still, she could try.

Ought to.

Diana was trying her best, and Akko had to… _must_ try as well.

If only she knew where to start. For now, all the pieces she could collect were fragments of dreams and memories. She could not even remember the words she was supposed to have uttered! Shapeless forms swam right beneath the surface of her mind, but she could not reach for them, slippery like fishes.

She did not remember them, no matter how hard she tried. Maybe it was something related to the situation they were in? Scared, hungry, about to be killed at the hand of monsters?

But there must be a better way…

Akko groaned. Why were things always so complicated?

She sat down on the large wooden branch that lay right behind Diana’s softly snoring form and tried to collect herself. She tried to calm down, listen to her breath, to the rhythm of air passing through her body. There had been a time when she went to sit down in the small temple besides her house, close her eyes and just wait for relaxation to come, and the memory of those fireworks.

She could almost see them now behind her eyes.

Here it was far damper and colder, the only advantage she had over her past situation was Diana’s presence… but the exercise did manage to make her feel a little at ease, like a long-aching muscle that’s kneaded into relaxation, warmth spreading from Akko’s chest all over her limbs.

She breathed softly.

One step at a time. This was something all her friends had always said. Lotte, when Akko tried to get ready for an exam. Amanda, trying to brush off her worries as little more than useless anxiety, trying to help her in the only way she could. And Sucy, showing little desire to listen to her tirades, except for when they really mattered.

In their own way, they all had helped them.

Akko opened her eyes, and saw golden hair and picture, in her mind, soft azure eyes.

Diana would tell her to stay calm, stay collected, stay rational.

She did not want to disappoint her.

Looking at her sleeping form, Akko’s eyes lingered over that grey lock of hair running through gold.

And then Akko took a decision. It was a small decision, but it was important in its own way.

 

-

 

Preparing tea had been something she had not done for years. At least not this way. Either Lotte prepared it, and they all drank together, or Sucy did, and they all tried to stealthily throw it away. She could not use magic, so she did just as Mother taught her. She prepared a small fire with string and small branches, poured clear water onto the burning metal, waited for the first few bubbles to come up. Dried leaves she had received from Andrew in their supplies, and though they only had a handful, Akko was adamant in using them _now_. There was something _right_ in using them this way, for this reason… for the person who was still softly snoring next to her.

Sure, it was far from perfect. Akko was still in her traveling robes, and she could not brush her hair, or dress in her traditional vest, or wear sandals and paint her face white, and speak softly in a hushed tone. But it was a start. Giddy, Akko finished brewing the tea. Maybe they could do it again, at another time…

As the golden liquid sloshed in twin metal cups, Akko gently tapped with her nail against the edge of one, drawing soft tolls.

_Ting ting ting_.

At the third toll, Diana’s eyes opened.

“Akko?” She groggily asked, stretching, kneading her tired eyes just the way Akko had done only a couple minutes before. “What time is it? Powers, did I oversleep?”

“Nothing of the sort,” Akko answered softly, chuckling inwardly as she kept her posture, sitting on her knees, her back straight, holding one of the cups in her hand, right in front of Diana’s eyes. “I wished to welcome you, o Lady, on this fine morning, with a cup of our finest brewed tea.”

Diana blinked, as if unable to pierce through the veil of dreams.

“Akko? Is that you?”

“On this morning, o Lady, please accept our humble offer, in the hope that this fragrance may restore your strength just as it has restored the grace upon our family.”

“Akko?”

Akko bowed slightly and offered the cup to her.

Diana took it, slightly flushed.

“I… this is all so sudden, and quite fetching… is this some sort of tradition from your own land? Was this a special day I missed? Akko, please provide an answer.”

Akko chuckled. She scratched her neck as she shook her head, making sure to hold her hair as straight as she could. They both smelled like mud, sweat, and faint hope. They were both alone under a dirt canopy and hunted by wolves, _Yrch_ and ghosts. And yet she did find the time to brew some tea.

There was still something good in this world.

“Just something that I decided to put up for you. I’m sorry, this is nothing compared to how it should be! We have no flowers, no perfumes, and no gifts to exchange, and I have no honey for the tea, and I thought it would be nice for-oh! You are beaming. So much! Did you like it?!”

Diana chuckled as well, a soft sound like far-off foam tinkling against the shore.

“Akko! Never in my most wondrous dream would have I ever… is this another of your costumes? Do you do this before or after you wash each other’s back?”

“Oh, that’s…” Akko looked aside for a moment, “…another thing altogether, no. I just wanted to share something with you, that’s all. A little thing we do. A special occasion.”

Diana’s fingers left her side to lightly brush against Akko’s cheek.

“The last time I had tea like this I was a child, or little more than that. Soon to be stretched into adulthood. I was in a white room, and the Sun was far warmer, and yet the day was far colder than this. We were two back then, and only I remain now. I used to be on my own. Imagine my delight as I can be together again.”

Akko knew she had her limits, but for some stuff, she was quick.

“Your… your family, yet again?”

“Yet again, yes.”

“A toast, then.” Akko took her own cup and raised it, softly closing her eyes. “This we offer in respite and thanksgiving to those who came before, for those who will come afterward. May their light and wisdom light our path, may they carry us when the road darkens.” She hesitated. In a whisper, she added: “Uh, Diana this is the moment when you are supposed to the take the first sip.”

“At once,” Diana complied, the warmest smile upon her lips, and reflected in her eyes. Diana drank.

After a moment, Akko drank as well.

“Do you do anything else, after you drank?” Diana asked in the same whisper.

“There’s a few more rituals and phrases, but I kinda forgot about them. How about we finish the tea first?”

“Most delightful a suggestion.”

“So that’s a yes.”

“And a thank you,” Diana replied, putting down the cup for a moment. Her hand touched Akko’s palm, resting inside it like the slightest touch of a feather. “For sharing this with me.”

“You’re welcome! I only, uh…” Akko would have wanted to look aside once again, but her eyes were fixed against that small tuft of grey hair. “I wanted to give something back. I am not that good, you know, it’s something so small, it’s ridiculous, I know, and it’s a bit silly, I was supposed to be dressed in white and my face painted an-”

Diana’s smile curled. For a moment, it wavered, like the surface of a pond hit by a sudden wave. The stars in her eyes collected in a wave, and spilled at the side in two silent lines. She put her cup on the branch, leaned forward, and hugged Akko, embraced her, pulled her closer against her body.

She was shaking.

Akko, frowning, put down her cup as well.

“Diana?”

She did not answer.

Akko’s hand rose to softly caress her hair. Even after one day and more of walking in the mud, they smelled like resin, and lavender, and tingling sweat, and hope and beauty and laughter in hidden corners.

Softly Diana sobbed. Softly her hands curled together, and Akko held them, and she put a trail of kisses against her brow, knowing not why or when she was supposed to stop, or what she was supposed to do.

But all in all, Akko held Diana, and Diana embraced Akko, holding each other like they held that door against wolves and the terror of darkness.

Little by little, Diana’s choking gasps fell into sobs, the sobs into whimpers, and whimpers rose into breathing.

“It suits you,” Akko said in the end, playing with the strand of grey hair.

Diana did not answer, but held her even tighter.

“It looks good on you. Makes you look, uh, dignified. Just like you said, you are not complicated, you are dignified.”

“Akko.”

“Yes.”

“I am truly sorry. Our tea is cold now.”

Akko shrugged.

“No problem. It was not that good anyway.”

Diana chuckled.

“How about we keep this up for a little more, then?”

“This…”

“Just hold me.”

Silence.

“That…” Akko gulped. “That I can do.”

And the Sun continued to climb the ladder of morning, and as the light coming through leaves tilted, the wind changed, bringing fresh air from the West. And Akko thought, holding Diana so close, she smelled salt, and the sea, and maybe, if she closed her eyes, she could picture the two of them, standing side by side, on the pier of Luna Nova. Foam rose tall in the air, and so did the cries of seagulls. The sea called on to them, and they were ready to depart for another adventure. Darkness behind them, and new lands and hope before.

“I smell the sea,” Akko whispered, mostly to herself.

“I do as well,” was the soft answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and welcome back. These two weeks have been long, and I truly hope you held your breath for something good. The story is back, and we are coming back to the usual Saturday chapter!  
> I truly believed the polishing I undertook was necessary, though. I was pleased to find only a few things and details and typos to correct, the flow and structure of the story was satisfactory, and I aim to get even better.
> 
> I hope you liked this chapter. I wanted to provide you with a small moment between these two, as they more or less demanded it. The next chapter is going to be a lot longer... and a lot darker. As someone* said in the comments a few weeks ago, the rollercoaster is about to plunge into darker and deeper water than ever. 
> 
> Thank you for sticking with me, and for giving me the chance to polish the story a little. New readers are going to find a better tale! So thank you again! The only disappointment was not being able to create that Q&A session I longed for. Oh, well. Maybe at another time.
> 
> I will answer the pile of comments soon, as soon as I get some sleep. Please let me know what you think about this chapter, I am eager to know! Thank you for reading and the support!


	24. XXII - An offering

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Read this chapter with a candle. May it be a light for you, where all other lights fail.

They had to wait for the right moment to enter the secret layers under Luna Nova.

It was not just a matter of increased security measures in the Academia. Even though the Professors had passed from whispering to each other to murmuring, echoes of worries in the corridors and in the classrooms. They had less classes, more homework, and less time outside. Flying was banned.

Not that Amanda gave too much thought to bans and prohibition and rules.

If she did, she would not be showing her way to her friends and current employees.

“Hold the lamp higher,” she whispered as she traced a few more lines in the air with her wand.

Lotte grumbled but did as she was told, holding the glass ball a little higher. She would have liked to use her old skull with the flame spirit, but… these times, it was better not. It had been a long time since she had tried. Maybe she…

No.

_No_.

Better safe than sorry. She set her shoulders and kept the lamp high as Amanda traced the lines again.

“Odd,” she muttered. This usually works. Let me try again.”

“Did you call us out here for this charade?” Sucy bemoaned from behind, her single eye seemingly glowing in the close darkness. “I could have stayed in my room and watch mushrooms grow. Would have been more exciting.”

“Sucy!” Lotte scolded her. “Be polite. Amanda is doing her best, I am sure.”

“You bet,” Amanda replied, as her wand traced yet more arabesques. “It’s not my fault. It’s… slippery. Like the spell is… no, like there’s _something_ pushing me.”

In Lotte’s hand, the lamp shook. The shadows wobbled and light rattled, as if they were  drunk.

“Lotte?” Barbara said as she saw her lose her composure for a moment. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” she replied, biting her lip.

“Amanda is right, though,” Jasminka inquired. She had to let go of her usual crunchy snacks for this silent visit to the lower dungeons, and thus she was avidly sucking on licorice root. At least it did not make much noise. “It’s that _pressure_ from before. It has grown, is all around us.”

_Night is all around us_ , Lotte thought. But she held fast onto the lamp, and the candle light it cast. As long as she had her lamp… as long as she had her friends…

“There, there, it’s working!” Amanda exclaimed as the argent patterns coiled and knotted into a visible shape, tracing the outline of a then-invisible door. “See? I told you!” Amanda sat her hands confidently on her hips, shooting a cocky gaze to them and in particular to Sucy, who seemed unimpressed.

“It matters not. Let’s us finish with this. I want to go back to my mushrooms.”

“I’ll show you the way, then,” Amanda replied with a sneer, pushing the door open with her wand and leading them downstairs. Endless, black stairs leading from the deepest basement of the library to the unknown darkness below. Towards where, towards what, Lotte had no idea. But they would find some answers there. They had to.

The group fell in a line. Amanda at the forefront, and just behind her Lotte, pushing light to cast the blackness aside. The echoes of her friend’s steps remined her of soft rain falling against leaves and branches, in her own far-away land. She was so removed from home! Still, she gripped the shaft of the lamp with renewed strength. She was with her friends. Just like Ursula had said, she was safe here, she was safe with them. She would not go into darkness once again.

“This used to be a basement, or something,” Amanda explained as they walked downstairs. Lotte held the lamp a little higher. Drunken shadows wavered and showed for a moment a hint of bridges, stairs and rooms, filled with remote black shapes. “It’s mostly rubbish,” she said with a shrug. “Stuff that’s been here since the beginning. I already checked it, there’s nothing of value in there. Whatever little I pocketed already.”

“A-Amanda!” Came shaky the echoes of Hannah’s voice. “Since when have you been pilfering this place?”

“I have no idea. Probably since the end of the first year.” Two steps above her, Lotte saw Amanda’s face darken with a frown. “I began in earnest since Constanze left, I believe.”

Hannah fell silent. Lotte shared a look with Barbara, right behind her, who had brushed a hand against her friend’s shoulder. Hannah fidgeted, as she seemed to believe she had just made a faux-pas.

Hannah’s eagerness to win Amanda’s approval reminded her of the few lingering gazes she had shared with Barbara as well. Their little feud seemed to be a thing of the past, a part played in a theatre of masks and mirrors. They had grown out of it.

Barbara looked at her, hope in her eyes, black in the dim light, golden where the torchlight reflected. They seemed to wait for Lotte’s approval as well.

Lotte’s eyes shied away from her. She had no idea how to deal with this sudden development. But it did feel good to be appreciated. By someone else who was not Akko.

Sucy wobbled behind Jasminka, silent and seemingly bored. She briefly met Lotte’s eyes and turned her gaze away. Ever since Akko had left, Sucy had been broody. Broodier than usual.

“There’s some stuff here as well,” Amanda said, pointing to her left. There Lotte saw what looked like rubble. “Foundation ruins. Nothing much to scavenge there, but I did find the occasional drop of rare mineral. It’s all depleted now, by the way. Let’s go down!”

And downward they went. The stairs narrowed and cracked, and at times they had to jump from one step to the next. Silence hung like a veil all around them. Amanda boasted about her knowledge of the place a few more times, left one last comment, “ _Powers_ , it is so dark here now,” and fell silent as well.

Lotte was cold. Foul whispers of wind tickled her skin, making her wince. Once, the lamp waved too much, and almost slipped from her hands. Amanda caught it before it tumbled into the abyss below.

“Careful!” She scolded her. Lotte bit her lip and nodded. She would have liked to reply with more, she would have wanted to say she was sorry, but for some reason she could not.

This darkness, this blotchy, inky blackness that seemed to fill every space, press against their ears, and their eyes to knock and rush inside to cover thought and memory… it was _too_ familiar.

And beneath it all, was there not the gnawing of teeth?

Gnawing of teeth, against wood. Curses and wailing.

“Lotte,” Amanda said as she sat her hand on her shoulder. “What is the matter? You are as white as yesterday’s snow.”

Lotte blinked.

She had not noticed how close she was to the edge. She walked back, panting.

“Nothing. It’s nothing.”

She was safe here. She was safe here with friends.

“Lotte… we can still go back. I will even give you back your coins. If it’s too much…”

“No!” Lotte cried out, her grip on the lamp growing stronger. She would _not_ be craven, not when all her friends…not after what she had passed through.

“Lotte is afraid,” came the dull voice of Sucy, from the back of the column. Lotte raised the lamp, and a blade of yellow light fell upon Sucy’s unexpressive face. “And she is not wrong. This place reeks of sorrow. I would not pick up a single mushroom here. We have walked enough, and found nothing but rubbish. Let us go back.” For a moment, through her annoyance and the bad mood that had seemed to envelop her for the last few months, something brighter shone through. “You showed bravery enough, Lotte. You will not find Akko down there. Let’s go back.”

“No,” panted Lotte. “No. I… we need to know.”

“Lotte…”

“Don’t say my name like that!” Lotte lifted a finger, pointing it at Sucy. “Don’t whisper it, like I am some child! In my blood is the blood of Louhi. Do not coddle me. I am not made of twigs.”

Amanda scratched her head.

“Lotte… I mean, I was all for showing you what’s down there, but it’s been a while since I have been to the bottom. I never found anything more than old bas-reliefs, it’s probably nothing…”

“I was craven once,” Lotte whispered, pushing Amanda aside and taking the head of the column. “I will not be again.”

And for a time, it seemed her determination was enough to shine a little stronger light. The air was less foul, and the strange whispers and echoes ceased.

And at last, Lotte’s foot reached the bottom.

It was a wide space, circular for as much as they could see. The lamp could only show piles of abandoned square shapes that might have been books once; old staves and rusted words hang from the walls. Tattered robes, and a single pile of shiny things.

“That would be my stuff,” Amanda pointed at it. “Do not look through it, please. It’s private. Bah! I would have preferred to fly down here.” She scoffed and spat, the echo of her spittle dying many times against the walls. “We’re at the bottom, as promised. What did you want to look for? You told us you wanted to find answers.”

Lotte nodded, not really listening to her. She walked towards the wall. Bas-reliefs, Amanda had said. The wall was completely covered with them. Scenes of past times. Happier times, when magic was aplenty and Witches strong. Lotte’s hand touched the damp, cold wall.

Here was her answer.

“I thought we would have found books,” Lotte explained, tossing a glance at the piles upon piles of old tomes. “But…” she reached for one, and had barely touched it, the pages broke into dust. It flickered at the light of the lamp and fell onto the ground. “Jasminka, please see if there is anything salvageable.”

“Right away,” she replied, beginning to lift what looked like the most promising of book cadavers, and managing only to create a few more clouds of dust.

“We won’t find anything down here,” Sucy mumbled, crossing her arms and looking back at the stairs going up.

Something snapped inside of Lotte. It was as if an invisible hand had been strumming at her heart, _twing twing twing_ , and Sucy’s comment made it go _twang_ at last.

“Oh, so you can put up a scornful face for weeks, but I cannot even try and understand my friend’s plight?”

Sucy blinked.

Frowned.

Opened her mouth.

Lotte did not give her the time.

“I have been watching you. Ever since Akko left. You turned sour and bitter like you used to be before. Do you think you are entitled to it? To all of the sorrow? Do you think I cannot understand how you feel?”

“You do not seem to understand much, no,” Sucy muttered, venom coming back to creep into her words for the first time in three years.

“Girls…” Barbara, of all people, tried to pull things back from the bring. “Please do not fight. I am sure we are all worried about Akko and Diana, but-“

“And what do _you_ know?” Sucy’s watchful eye was now focused on Barbara. She took a few echoing steps towards her, her looming figure seemingly growing darker and larger. “What do you _know_? Your bark is much worse than your bite, it does seem. And now that you have lost your tree to bark at, you turn to us, bitch of the House of Cavendish? You have treated Akko like dirt for three years. Now you pretend to worry? Spare me your sickening pity! And you!” Sucy’s pale finger came out of her dress, aimed at Hannah like an arrow. “You, what are you doing here? Anybody can see it, as clear as the spots on a fly cap: your intention are far from pure, as well.” Sucy snarled. “I only asked for a few more days in the sun. Now the sun has been stolen from me. And yet I do not weep, nor dangle at the tail of others. Lotte, you are mad if you come here looking for answers. Fine! Have your madness, as much as I care. Come to me when you are sane again! As for me, that is enough a waste of my time. Good night!”

And she turned and left.

Nobody stopped her as Sucy slowly disappeared upstairs, the echo of her steps disappearing into silence.

“What now?” Amanda asked, turning her eyes towards Lotte.

Lotte’s hands were white where they gripped the lamp.

“Now, we look for answers,” she replied.

 

-

 

Lotte had made a few more lamps. Torches, actually. Tattered clothes burnt well, even after all those years. At the flickering, dancing light of the torches, coughing softly when the smoke did not dissipate as quickly, they searched.

“I do not know how large this is,” Amanda said as she pushed aside empty crates. The wood had long-since lost any enchantment. Lotte appraised it must have reverted to plain matter about three hundred years before. “I have only ever used it as my secret hideout,” she revealed. Maybe it was the bad situation they were in, or Sucy’s parting words, or Hannah’s long, worried gazes in her direction, but it seemed Amanda’s bravado was cracking. “And, really, spending time together with you all is great, but I think I am running out of places where to look.”

Lotte nodded, silent and distant. She had drifted away from the group. Yasminka sat between two piles: one of books and one of dust. Hannah and Barbara held hands, at times making a token effort of brushing something aside, pretending like they were actually looking for something.

Hannah’s eyes brushed against Amanda. Barbara’s brushed against her.

And every time they did so, Lotte felt a tiny arrow pierce her heart. It was not poetic. It was not a good feeling.

After her encounter, after her brush with the Darkness, Barbara had opened up a bit to her.

Maybe they could be friends. Lotte was not sure what she was feeling, not sure at all. It was nice to be appreciated. Akko had always considered her a friend, and Sucy… Sucy was just Sucy.

But to have one of your former tormentors suddenly _look up_ to you?

A craving.

A craving for that, a craving Lotte had never experienced about, a tiny hole in her chest, and something she was desperate to fill.

She would not be weak.

They thought she was.

They _all_ believed she was weak.

Made of twigs.

She! Who had tamed spirits, who shared blood with famed Louhi!

But she had rebuked the Darkness once already. She would show them.

First of all, she would show Amanda O’Neill she was wrong to use this place as a hideout, without taking one moment to look at the bas-reliefs covering the walls, and at the story they told.

Lotte walked, torch in hand, as she read the stories and events unfolding in front of her. It made sense, to write this story in stone. It made sense, for people who knew magic would fade, and that even the strongest protections would amount to nothing. Such a mundane medium, instead, would remain for thousands of years, protected beneath Luna Nova.

The story spoke of the Nine Witches of Old, of their glory and their fall. So far Lotte had only managed to recognize the names of two: Beatrix the Kind and Woodward. The last descendant of that same Beatrix was now riding with Akko on the road, facing who knows what perils.

Among the tales of their youth, and the founding of Luna Nova itself, it spoke of the Enemy.

Of how He had once covered the entire land with a Darkness, and friend rose against friend, brother against brother. Magic faltered, waned, faded. All the strength of the Witches was seemingly not enough to rebuke Him.

Lotte passed right by a large panel.

Behind her, she could hear remote voices from her friends, but she ignored them.

And there she found the answer.

The reason why she had never known about the Enemy.

The Nine Witches of Old, collected around a tall tree, connecting earth to the sky, to the sea, to the foundations of the world.

The Nine Olde Witches, as they cut the tree down, and hid it.

The Nine Witches, as they vowed never to have it found again, as the Enemy gnawed at its roots.

The flickering flame inside Lotte’s lamp danced, ever fainter. She squinted her eyes, interpreting the signs.

The Nine, fading, one after the other.

The books and records of the war, destroyed.

A tale waved, of magic naturally going away.

Lies.

Lies to protect them, to shelter them from the truth.

It was real. It was not just nightmares, and the tales spun by a mad astronomy Professor.

The Enemy was real.

Lotte blinked as the light wavered, turning redder and redder.

But protect them from… what? If the Enemy had been beaten, why…

A breath of wind rose. It passed right besides Lotte, brushing against her shoulder with the fierce of cold of winter. The flame in her lamp bowed, flattened, flashed and died.

And she was alone, in the dark.

 

-

 

Lotte’s breath broke in ragged gasps. She gripped at the wall, like she could fall. She felt like she could fall, in fact. Her wand hang in her other hand.

_Please_ , she thought.

Small sparks of green light appeared for a moment at its tip, only to disappear, as if swallowed by inky waters.

_No, please_.

She did not want to go back.

She could _not_ go back.

Not _there_.

Lotte took a long breath. There was a stench in the air.

She could do this.

She could _do_ this.

She was not weak. Her friends… her friends counted on her, did they not? Barbara looked up at her. Akko counted on her. She could do this. She would show them she had learned her lesson.

That she was more careful, now.

She could do this.

Still gripping the wall, Lotte opened her mouth.

It was so hard. It had once come so naturally to her.

And she began to sing.

“ _K-kun oli kaunis kaatununna..._

_Neitonen n-nukahtanunna,_

_M-mennyt letohon merehen,_

_alle aaltojen s-syvien…_ ”

Lotte choked on the words. Why was she singing of loss? Could she not weave a happier song?

But in that encroaching darkness only the bleakest lines came to her mind.

Slow, a bluish light flickered inside her lamp. It was not a friendly spirit, one attracted by her sorrow more than her call for help.

It would have to do.

Still, Lotte felt a little better. She had managed to call upon a spirit, and though it only managed to cast a flickering corpse-light, it was enough to lit up her surroundings.

Was it?

Lotte was alone.

The darkness extended all around her.

But there was no one together with her. Nobody wanted to prey her open like a paper doll. Nobody wanted to push their talons deep past her eyes into the soft spirit beneath, and bite, and rend.

Lotte, a hand upon the wall, began to walk back. She had had her answers. She could now go back to her friends. They would be so happy to see her again! They would laugh at her little misadventure and come back to the sunlit world. Tomorrow they had classes…

Sucy was waiting for her.

She was not looking at her. Slouched, Sucy seemed to look at something in the far distance.

Lotte let go of the wall and walked towards her friend, her steps drawing no echoes from the floor. The air was thick again. Like fog, a black fog that her light was having a hard time to pierce.

“Sucy?” Lotte called. Her voice seemed so lonely and weak in the blackness.

Where was she? Was she close to the stairs? She had to find Amanda and the others. Tell them the truth, show them…

“Sucy!”

“You have come,” Sucy replied.

Lotte felt the impulse to set her hands on Sucy’s shoulder, but something stopped her.

“I’m sorry,” Lotte said instead. “I am sorry for drawing you here. I did not want to make you feel bad. It’s just…”

“You’re weak,” Sucy spat out. It was uncouth, even for her. Her shoulders trembled, if in rage or sorrow, Lotte could not have said. “Let’s walk.”

Sucy trod forward, and Lotte followed her.

“That was mean of you,” Lotte said after a while. “I did not meant to-“

“Put them all into mortal peril. Look into things you do not understand.”

“No! Sucy, please let me explain.”

“Trod into Darkness.”

Lotte froze.

Sucy was still not looking at her. Only then Lotte noticed the contours of her figure were somewhat smoky, like brushed by a soft wind.

_Trod into Darkness_.

Lotte took a step back.

That was not Sucy.

The thing that was not Sucy stopped as well.

The two of them said nothing.

Sucy trembled again. Maybe in rage, maybe in sorrow. Maybe in the secret mirth of the hunter that has snapped his trap shut.

Slowly, the thing began to turn its head towards Lotte.

Lotte ran.

Nobody, nothing followed her. There was no sound of steps.

For some reason, it was even worse. She ran and ran and ran until her breath rose in her throat like a vice and her chest burned, and she had to stop, stop and pant and weep and cry.

“I’m sorry!” She yelled at the darkness. “I’m sorry! I will go back! Make it stop!”

No answer.

“Please make it stop.”

“It will not stop.” Amanda’s voice.

Lotte turned. Just like the thing that had looked like Sucy, she stood still, showing her back.

“No, please don’t! Leave me alone.”

“It will not stop, because you are weak. And alone.”

The thing began to turn its head as well.

Lotte shrieked, shut her eyes and ran once again.

Fragments of voices rose from the shadows to ran with her.

_Weak, weak, weak, singer of silly old tunes_.

“No!” Lotte yelled, but she could not run farther than night, nor swifter than echoes.

Once again, she had to stop. Where was she? This could not be… she could not still be in the basement.

_They all have their talents_.

“Stop! Go away!”

_They all have something._

“No! This is not right. This is not true.”

Lotte fell on her knees. She tried to connect to something that could help her. Memories of her family, of her land in winter, under the trees. The few genuine smiles of Sucy. Akko’s warm embraces.

They all passed through her fingers, like she was trying to dig a hole in the sand.

_All of them save for you_.

“No! I am good with spirits.” Lotte shook her head. “I am good with singing. I am good with _something_.”

“Then show me.”

Barbara.

Still not facing her. But she was undressed, or dressed only of veils of darkness, and stark white was her beautiful back, framed by her long dark hair.

“Show me. Please. I ache for it.” Her voice was honey, dripping, sizzling into the frozen darkness.

Lotte had a vision of those grey eyes, looking up at her. Maybe her lips would open. Redness would cover her cheeks.

For _her_.

“Sing for me?” Her voice softly whispered, unseen promises there.

Vainly, Lotte covered her face as she wept.

Something touched her shoulder.

“Lotte, worry not.”

And against her better judgement, Lotte opened her eyes.

Akko’s voice.

“See? Everything is fine. Even if you left me alone in the forest.”

“I did not…I did not…”

“You did, Lotte,” Akko calmly replied. “You ran, when you saw the darkness recede. You did not think I might be in peril, did you? You did not try to reach for me again. Did you?”

“I… I…”

“It is fine,” Akko said, and there was crazy mirth in her voice. “It is fine. This way I can be with Diana alone. Diana is much more interesting than any you, you know?”

“A-Akko…” Lotte’s heart beat so much she felt it reverberate in her throat. Something fell down her cheek, damp and hot. Lotte bit her lip, and her lip broke, and something else warm and blood ran, and her mouth tasted like iron.

“I love spending time with her. I love doing everything she asks of me. I love it how she whips me in the morning with her belt! I love it how she punishes me for my dumb mistakes! I love being a stupid useless ornament for the House of Cavendish!” Akko’s voice rose a shriek. Lotte recognized the echo of a laughter in that shriek. “I love it! I found my true stature in life! All thanks to you, Lotte! Thank you for being weak! Thank you!”

Lotte stood up and ran.

“ _Thank you!”_

Lotte ran.

“ _For running away!”_

“Please stop. Please stop.” Lotte whimpered as she wandered, aimlessly, into the darkness. She looked for her friends.

She cried a little more.

She curled up, and waited for something to come and catch her.

Nothing did.

So she stood up, and walked again.

“I did not do it, I did not do it,” she muttered as she bit into her nails.

She did not want to leave Akko alone. She had been pushed back. It was not her fault.

The Darkness was much too strong.

It was not her fault.

What could she do to oppose it?

To oppose Him?

She was weak.

Much too weak.

Lotte walked, and at last realized she was not alone anymore.

Forms floated, upside down, all around her.

Nine of them.

She could not distinguish their smoky contours, but they seemed fixed against an impetuous current, their clothes and hair flowing by.   

And in the middle, something else. Something she could not distinguish.

**You are weak** , a voice said.

_Yes_ , Lotte admitted, because it was true.

She did not want to be.

But it was true.

**Be weak no more** , the voice offered.

The nine figures floated behind Lotte, as if pushing her towards that central source, that focal point.

Inside, she saw.

A wand.

Night was all around her, and Lotte, ashamed, reached for it.

The next moment, she was pushed back by a blinding flash of white.

_No_! She cried out. Not now… not now… when she was so close.

She hit something. In that floating space, something seemed to have regained firmness.

She blinked.

Blinked again, and light flew in. Two people reached for her. She tried to reach past them, to reach for that wand.

_Weak no more_ , she heard as a echo in her mind.

“I want it,” she mumbled.

One of the two people in front of her frowned. She had deep green aqua eyes, not dissimilar from Cavendish. But she held her hair short, and the colour was wrong, and her robes were completely white. In her left hand she held a heavy black staff.

And next to her, disheveled hair all around her face, Sucy pushed the white one aside and embraced her.

Ah, yes, Sucy.

“Lotte! Lotte! What happened? I heard something, and I called for help. The White Witch just arrived here, we blasted past the doors.”

And behind the two of them, other figures. Lotte recognized a few of them. All seemed a dream. As if she had passed through a veil, and now what was real was a half-forgotten memory.

“What happened? By grace of Beatrix, speak!” the Headmaster said, her wand trained at… at her? Her voice was shaken.

“Little good will do that name now,” the White Witch said. She put her hand atop Lotte’s forehead.

Why were all these people here?

She just wanted her wand.

_Weak no more_.

“Damage is deeper than I dare to fear,” the White Witch said. "He attempted to pass through, but was rebuked. Barely." She rose. Weakly, Lotte tried to reach for something that was not there.

Other people came. She did not recognize them, not so quick. The red-haired one could have been Amanda.

And the dark-haired one could have been Barbara.

She did not much care.

“I want it,” she murmured through dry lips.

Sucy held her right against her body.

Slowly, Lotte let her arm fall.

But she still wanted it.

_Weak no more_.

A face she had not seen in a while: from behind the White Witch, a small Witch with dark hair. Slowly she walked up to her, pushed some kind of beverage past her lips.

It tasted of fresh snow. The sun filtering through pine trees. Songs in front of a bonfire.

“I want it,” Lotte said once again.

The White Witch shook her head. She looked at Holbrooke.

“Things are bound to change around here.”

Sucy held her even tighter.

“Please speak to me, Lotte. Please speak to me.”

Lotte, weakly – for weak she was – pushed her arm once again past Lotte, to grasp at something that was not there.

Not anymore.

She had lost her chance.

“I want it. Please.”

_Weak no more_.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a chapter that was much, much harder to write than I thought. Not just because of the poor misadventures Lotte has to face. No, I was unsure about putting so much tension, and I dare say a foray into real horror territory in a tale that began with Akko scaring seasgulls away.  
> But in the end I decided to.   
> I aim for the best, and this chapter was necessary, for a series of reasons.   
> I also love the double meaning of the title.  
> It was also choke-full of small hints. The smartest among you might even be able to put together the main pieces of the tale by now, though I dare say much of it is still hidden.   
> There's still much to know, and to experience.   
> Lotte's character arc is one of the most interesting, though. As you have seen, I like to break these Witches.  
> Diana had her turn.  
> Lotte did as well, twice.  
> Oh goodness, I truly wonder who's next on the menu?
> 
> All in all, thank you for supporting this story. I would love a comment to know how tense this chapter had you, and how you felt while reading it. I am much curious.  
> Thank you again for your unwavering support!


	25. XXIII - Ashes and smoke

 

All things considered, the scene was not that much different. Diana was sitting upon a tree root, watching Akko practice with her bow. They had left the bog behind, and Berg was now close. So close, in fact, they could spot the serpent of smoke rising in the sky, just behind the last few curtains of hills. They had to be closer than Diana thought. Air was crisp, but clear. Whatever devices might call to the Enemy’s attention, He seemed to have left them alone, at least for that moment.

Powers, Diana did intend to enjoy this peace.

She sighed. She missed having her diary where to note down her thoughts – she must have lost it in one of those occasions when they had been in great peril – but these days her thoughts always came back to three basic shapes.

The Enemy, pressing all around her like a toothache, gnawing at the edge of her consciousness.

Her family, or what passed for it, waiting for her, together with the heritage she had once rebuked.

And Akko.

Diana let her head fall against the soft moss covering the tree.

Akko drew cocked another arrow. She pulled on the bow. The muscles of her back stiffened, her posture straightened.

Something jumped inside Diana’s heart, like an invisible bunny doing small, sudden hops.

She let go.

The string sang, the arrow whizzed, and it bit into a distant tree. No shower of leaves, this time.

And once again, Akko turning her head towards her, a large smile upon her face.

“Did you see that?”

“Indeed,” Diana replied as she softly clapped. Her head swam with warm images, her chest heaved, her heart pushed her to just throw everything to the wind and stand up, draw Akko closer and closer and show her how much _appreciative_ she was of her talent. But she did nothing of the sort.

She was _dignified_.

And Akko was not ready, as painful as it was to admit.

“I am getting better with this bow,” Akko mused as she walked closer to Diana, sat right next to her.

Powers, Akko’s soft breaths. Powers, the tingly smell of Akko’s sweat.

Powers, it was hard to dominate herself.

“That much I can see. Would it be uncouth were I to say I am looking forward to you showing your newfound prowess, dearest Akko?”

“Uh,” Akko scratched her head and turned it slightly away, red already tinging her cheeks. “Uh, that was a load of words. I am not sure. I think it would be… reckless of you.”

“Truly! You wound me. You still seem to think of me as a stuck-up heiress, Akko, even after we walked thigh-high in the mud.”

Akko laughed. Soft water bubbling up from the sweetest spring. Diana wanted nothing more than to reach for that spring and drink. Drink, from those pink lips.

“Sorry. Hard to shake that image, after you held it up for three years.” Akko blinked, and Diana just knew what her next question was going to be. She stiffened. “Why did you, anyway?”

Maybe she could hide the truth.

But, no. It would be pointless.

Akko would find out one way or another, and being honest with her was more important than the pang of pain se would get from disturbing slumbering memories.

And maybe Akko would like her more for it.

Inwardly, Diana sighed. All this time, and she still could not dominate herself. Not really.

“Fear was the chief reason, I reckon.” Diana looked down at her hands, opened in her lap. “When I reached for Luna Nova, I wanted to… I craved to show everyone I was more than I had been told I was. Only two whispers had ever reached my ears up until now: on the right side the crushing pressure of the Heir of Cavendish, last of the Great Houses, and the only that could still connect its bloodline to one of the Nine Witches of old legends. And on the left side, the snide remarks and insinuations of Daryl. Night and day she whispered her poison in my ear. No shoulder was there for me to cry on. I focused deeper and deeper into studying. Into understanding. Into remembering. I dug up the old Songs, as few of those I could find.”

“Songs?”

Diana smirked and played with the few greyed strands of hair she now possessed.

“Like the one I used to heal you, or to make my new wand. Words of powers Words of command. Words of healing, above all else.”

“And is this magic as well? Could I learn it? Why did you not share?”

For a moment, like the light of a distant star through clouds, Akko’s eyes shone with the passion Diana had from time to time seen these past three years.

“I am afraid I could not, Akko. Almost all old Songs are now dead. The magic that sustained them has grown feeble, and what little there can be found, is concentrated only in a few people. I think the White Witch and the Grey can still chant Songs. But only the two of them.”

“But wait, what about Lotte?” Akko grabbed her shoulder. “She can sing and she can do all sort of amazing stuff!”

Diana shook her head.

“Lotte is blessed with a rare ability and exceptional skill, but it is different. She sings to the spirits, Akko, she does not weave her Song through magic. She is a tiny white sail catching the wind, while the undercurrent and high tide of magic of old passes right beneath her boat, unreachable.”

“That’s a bummer,” Akko commented, pouting.

“The world has indeed grown cold.”

“So that was the reason you shut yourself up?” Akko asked, bringing the conversation back to the former topic, the one Diana dreaded. “Because you became a shut-in? You could have said something!”

“I did not wish to,” Diana replied, with a hint of her old, bruised pride slithering back into her voice. “I did not wish for help, which I dismissed as pity. Worse, I thought you were showing off and actually took pleasure in your patent lack of skill.”

“Yeah, about that…” Akko scratched her head again. She sat her bow on her shoulders, balled her fists. “I decided a few things, the other night. While you were sleeping. I thought a little. Not telling! Not yet. But I did made up my mind, about a few things.”

Was Akko speaking about… was she…

“For one thing, it’s okay if you are the one carrying that box thingie.”

 _Oh_. Diana deflated.

“I only wanted to feel like I could do the same. I felt like the tag-along kid, you know.”

“Akko…”

“Please let me finish! If I don’t I am going to start over and I am going to panic.” She took a long breath. “There. So. I decided a few things – I will tell you about them later, but I can tell you that I am still a little uneasy about this friendship thing. With you, I mean.”

Diana’s face was unmoved, but her heart plummeted.

“Oh. I…”

“Don’t interrupt! Please. Come on! I am uneasy because it was a bit sudden, and I am still afraid it’s a soap bubble. Nice to look at. Easy to pop. Like that!” _Paf!_ Akko clapped her hands. “But I want it to be a little stronger. A lot stronger. I uh… it would be nice to keep being friends with you. And, uh you…”

Akko’s eyes wandered from Diana’s eyes to her neck, to her chest, to her waist, to her legs, and up. Where they passed, Diana felt as if the morning sun had touched her.

“Powers, you look really nice. I did say it. Now you can laugh.”

“Akko…”

“Do not interrupt! Next time you interrupt I am going to tie you up.”

Diana blinked.

Akko’s words reached her brain.

“I mean! I am going to… do… something else. You are not going to like it.”

Diana, politely, coughed.

Akko took a few moments to look otherwise and wait for the awkward pause between them to settle.

“And, yes, I do like you in an armor suit,” Akko said in a very soft whisper. “My point being!” She followed up immediately, “I want to go slow because I am still afraid I am going to fall, but I am willing to go. I like being friends with you, though it feels different from Lotte or Sucy. With them is just like this soft cushion you can just through yourself into, know it will always be there to catch you, with… with you it’s…” Akko fidgeted. Diana was having a hard time hearing her over the rumble of her thundering heart. “It’s like I am falling into something, but it just goes and goes and it gets warmer and warmer and I get all tingly. Uh, you know, throughout. And it’s scary but it’s good and at the same time it’s something that I never thought I could experience… and…”

Diana bit her lip. Akko had asked not to interrupt her.

“And you are so forward! That’s, uh… flattering. But it makes me feel like I am still not ready. I want to be. Please… please keep supporting me.”

Akko put her hand into Diana’s. They were so coarse, her index and middle finger so rough. The hands of an archer.

“That is the moment when you can interrupt,” Akko allowed her.

“Then I am going to do so, and most gladly. Akko. I would never let go of you. I am pushing you, yes. Maybe the same way I did at school. My motives were selfish, and maybe still in part are. I used to show you how to refine your talent, how a real Witch ought to behave. And now I do desire to inspire you, with my meager strength. To resist the Enemy, to complete this mission, and maybe to stay by my side.”

Akko chuckled.

“That would be a good idea. Imagine how shocked Lotte and Sucy would be, seeing the two of us come back… uh, together.”

“I dare say I would be the most surprised of them all,” Diana replied. “Yet I would gladly surprise them all. Akko.” Diana took a deep breath. “There is no force in the land, be it magic or mundane, that could hinder me from holding you, if only you allow me thus. I will always reach for you.”

Prophetic words, as they were soon to discover.

Akko nodded and smiled wide.

“Then yes. Also, I have decided something else!”

Diana did not have time to ask what. Akko threw herself at her, and hugged her.

“It’s time for a hug! We’re out of the bog! And we’re in this together!”

“I-indeed,” Diana could only reply.

Slowly, her arms rose to hold Akko closer.

She had always hugged her from behind. This was the first time Akko allowed herself… no, indeed desired to be hugged from the front. It was so different. Akko’s back was hard, and strong. Her front was… softer. Warmer. Diana could feel it even through their light mail coats.

“I know it might be a bit hard for you right now. And I know it’s only a hug… but I wanted to give you this.” Akko said.

Diana chuckled.

“Dare I say this is one of the best gifts I could ask for?”

And they stayed like that, holding each other just like, a life before, they had held the door against wolves. The cold of winter shifted all around them, but it touched them not.

 

-

 

It was not chimney smoke.

They had passed the last line of the trees, and going downhill. A fell wind rose suddenly from the East. Diana sneered as Akko covered her mouth with her sleeve.

“Powers!” Diana commented as she took in the scene in front of them.

Trees lay, by the dozen, burnt and fell. Holes in the ground. Gnawed roots seemed to rise up from the ground, thorny, mangled, twisted as if by some yet-unknown power.

And the same pressure, the same oily presence, befouled air and soil.

“There must have been some sort of fight,” Akko commented. “There, look!”

To the side, at the center of the devastation, a smoking crater, like a gaping maw.

Half-buried beneath cinder and earth, the skeletons of horses could be seen. Diana walked in closer to one, but not too close. Cruel irons had been shod into its mouth, and around what remained of its legs. It had been a fierce beast, in life, maddened by torture and pain, and made numb to the sheer terror of carrying its rider.

“What happened here? It feels like that time in the forest!” Akko took her bow and cocked an arrow, walking in closer to Diana. “Is it the enemy?”

“Not Him, no.” Diana pulled Akko away from walking in closer to one of the skeletons. “Do not touch it! Dark magic tormented it, and who knows what that might still do. This was not the Enemy, not directly, Akko. No, these were the Nine.”

“The… those things you told me about?”

“The most powerful of His servants, yes. They were all here, days ago. I would reckon less than a week. They must have met with someone who scattered them.”

“Scattered them? Burnt them to a crisp, I’d say!”

“You would be mistaken, then. The Nine are tied to the Enemy, shadows under His great shadow. They may be hindered, pushed back. But like the rising tide, they cannot be stopped. Whatever battle took place here was barely a setback, I am afraid. They will come back. Stronger than before.”

“What’s that?” Akko walked towards the center of the crater. Before Diana could catch her, she took in her hands a mangled mass of bent iron, melted into a misshapen thing.

“What is this? This is the only thing that does not feel foul.”

“Indeed not,” Diana replied as she put a finger over the strange artefact. “It is still warm. It might have been… a candle-holder, once? Maybe a lamp.”

“A lamp? It smells like fireworks. Who left a lamp there?”

“The one who met with the Nine. They were closer than I feared. If they had not been delayed by this fight here, we might have faced something worse than _Yrch_ , the other night! Powers, and I had no idea.”

Silence settled until Akko coughed from the smokes.

“Let’s go,” she just said, and Diana agreed. Akko took the lamp with herself though.

“Why are you carrying that?”

“N-no idea.”

Diana sighed. Akko had never been a particularly good liar.

“Akko…”

“What if it was Shiny Chariot, Diana?”

“The Grey Witch does not carry a lamp like this.”

“It’s no matter. I have a hunch. I’ll keep the lamp. I… if it really was Shiny Chariot who fought here, I…”

Diana completed the line of thought.

She said nothing, also because she was a little surprised. Shiny Chariot being the topic, she would have expected Akko to dance around excited or break down crying at the… implications.

 _I have made a few decisions_ , Diana remembered.

She said nothing. Hoping it to be the right call.

Diana just held out her hand, brushed it against Akko's, and Akko took it.

One hand curled around the remains of the lamp, the other softly trembling inside Diana’s, they reached for the further lines of hills, and the few miles that separated them from Berg.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> R.I.P. Shiny Chariot. You had a good run.
> 
> I hope you liked this update! After last chapter, we needed a bit of respite, also given what's about to come. I have been waiting to write these next few chapters ever since I first imagined the story! Can't wait. Fun fact: this point in the story was originally meant to take place at around chapter SIX... at maybe fourteen thousand words. Funny how characters and stories grow by themselves, uh? We are reaching past average novel length, and there's so much more to say... I hope you are enjoying the tale. Please leave a comment to let me know if you do. A special thank you to all the new readers who are binging this. I tried to make it smoother and more streamlined just for you. Hope you will keep on following the story.
> 
> I will reply to all comments tomorrow, for now leaving you with once again the promise to meet you next Saturday with more cute Witches doing adventurous things. 
> 
> One last note: we are maybe two chapters away from that moment when rating are bound to go... up. Bath is going to star once again upon these pages!
> 
> Thank you for reading once again, please let mw know what you think!


	26. XXIV - Two amidst the steam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Is there a rating between T and M? Also check them new tags!

 

Akko thought she had never seen anything so beautiful.

Then her gaze moved on to Diana at her side, and she reconsidered that notion, but, still. As far as beautiful things went, the sight of Berg, waiting for them, with its the soft golden tinkling lights, the sinuous lines of smoke rising in the air, was one of the most.

“We made it,” she exhaled, leaning forward to theatrically fall on her knees. “Powers, I want nothing else than a warm meal and a warm bath now.”

“Good news then,” Diana commented putting her hand inside an inner pocket, not far from the iron box resting on her chest, and withdrawing a small bag full of tinkling coins. “Cutting through the forest has allowed us to go faster and to save on some supplies. We have a little more to spare.”

“To spare? Can we get a large room? And a soft bed? A-a-and…” Akko’s fingers wiggled as visions of sweets, hot meat, and milk filled her mind. Diana laughed softly.

“I said a _little_ , Akko. We will probably not eat on the floor, but let us be realistic here. We have still many days ahead of us, and much to purchase for the rest of our journey.”

“You’re such a killjoy.”

“But I think a… warm bath is not out of the question.”

Akko perked up again.

“I…” Diana blushed softly. “I think I would greatly enjoy partaking in your land’s costumes once again.”

“What you are saying is that you’d like me to wash your back.”

“The back, as a start.”

“A-as a start. I see! Great! The fact you wish to learn a tradition from my land is… uh, great! Great, indeed.”

“Akko, you are fidgeting.”

“Come on, hurry! First to reach the town’s entrance gets double rations.” Akko ignored her and began to run downwards.

Diana shook her head.

How unsightly. She was the one who was going to pay, so Akko’s silly little challenge had little power on her. Still… she began to pick up the pace, without running off at breakneck speed like Akko did.

After all, slow and steady wins the race.

 

-

 

It had taken them time to recover the trace. Their mark had been lost for a time, beyond an abyss nor they nor their dark Master could peer through.

Until their Master had almost managed to emerge, in Luna Nova. Cursed chance, He had been rebuked once again.

Patience. There would come another chance for reckoning. And this time, they would make sure the Grey one would not interfere. Hissing softly in the dark twilight, the Black Captain rose in its stirrups, and lifted a shiny sword to catch and reflect the pale moonlight, letting out a low screech, like a bird of prey calling upon its allies. Eight others answered its call. Slowly, they rode at the edge of a series of hills and mounds. Broken ruins and tombs and towers could be dimly seen amidst them. What might have once been a place of worship was now a barren land to the southern edge of the road. The Black Captain lifted a hand and began to chant. Words like gnawed teeth echoed around the seemingly-empty heels.

At last the rider lowered its hand, and from the hills, from deep down the hills came a rumbling answer, like many hungry voices, roused at once from uneasy sleep, and ready to hunt once more.

The Black Captain did not dispense any more instructions, as they would be unnecessary. Satisfied, having cut off their mark’s only way of escape, it turned back.

“Cavendish,” it hissed once again, and it was like the soft breaking of ice.

The rider let out a high shriek and galloped north. The others followed in tow, a rumbling of hooves towards the old abandoned road, the one leading to Berg.

 

-

Berg was not at all like Akko had imagined it. She had figured a large city, one bustling with activity, people coming, people going, the soft noise of word and steps echoing all around, just like it had been when she had visited the old capital with her parents, years before. Instead they approached an almost-empty town. The papers provided them by Andrew had helped ease their entrance, and Diana had only to part with a few silver coins to have their passage approved. Still, it was all wasted money in Akko’s opinion, and each brass piece falling into the hands of greedy town guards was one less morsel.

“This seems like a good place,” Akko said, tugging at Diana’s cloak. Akko was not known in these premises, but Diana, or at least her family’s name, was, and thus they had covered themselves with a pair of grey cloaks. Given the thunderous clouds gathering above, to blot out moon and stars, it was less suspicious than it might be.

“I am not sure,” Diana said, and that was starting to become her standard answer. They had already passed three similar inns as they walked through the empty streets, and not one had seemed safe enough to Diana.

“Listen,” Akko replied, “I have my bow, and I am a good shot, and I can sleep with one eye open if we get a good meal and a warm bath. And you already said no three times.”

“Akko, I have the utmost faith in your strong hands. But believe me: I expected some degree of problems once in Berg, but this is different from Westerndale. I would have preferred…”

“I would have preferred to stay in a warm bed with you, if that’s the…” Akko’s brain once again caught up with her words, and she bit her tongue. “What I mean! What I mean is that… we’re here! Let’s try!”

And maybe to shut Diana off, maybe because she really wanted to show some initiative, Akko turned and knocked on the door of the inn. After a few tense moments somebody opened the door: a girl, not a year or two removed from Akko and Diana’s own age. If she was a Witch, she might have been a first year, maybe a second.

“Visitors?” She asked, more out of disbelief than politeness.

“Travelers,” Akko replied with her usual big smile. “Sorry to disturb you tonight. We’re looking for a bed and a meal and a bath! Can you give u-”

The door was shut in Akko’s face.

“Hey! What sort of manner is that?” Akko banged on the door. “I asked for-”

The door opened once more. A tall man appeared on the entrance, and Diana walked in closer to Akko, making sure to set her hand upon her shoulder.

The man looked upon them with a stern expression.

He opened his mouth before they could, though.

“My daughter told me you were travelers,” he began.

“Yes. And tired, and in need of a warm meal!” Akko tossed a look at Diana. “And, uh, we can pay, rest assured.”

“It’s a strange sight, people who travel in winter,” he mused, scratching his chin.

“Yes, uh, it’s for our…” Akko searched for a good explanation. Another look at Diana provided it. “For our family, in the south.”

The man did not seem convinced. He scratched his chin once more.

“Sight even stranger, to see two young women traveling on their own.”

He shook his head.

“Ah! Peace! My daughter was suspicious. And a man can never be too cautious in these trying times. You can stay, but price will be steep. We are facing a foul winter, and you might as well, if you keep on traveling. Now come in!”

He opened the door for them. Akko walked in without a second invitation, pulling Diana inside.

“Ah, it’s so warm…” Akko let out a pleased groan as they walked in the hall. It was a small inn, with only a few tables and a large hearth that was the main source of heath and light in the room. A single flight of stairs led to the first floor.

“How much for one night?” Diana, always practical, asked.

“Depends on the services,” the man replied. “If you just want to sleep, I will be taking three silver. For the meal, it’s four silver. Upfront.”

“Would have guessed as much.” Diana put one hand inside her pocket and slowly piled coins on the man’s palm. “Take ten, and get a large warm bath ready.”

 

-

 

The room was smaller than Diana had hoped, but not than she feared. The wooden floor and walls kept heat well, and though she would not be enjoying the amazing view she enjoyed in Luna Nova or Westerndale, their room had presented them with the charming sight of Berg, half-asleep by now. Diana had soon closed the wooden panels, to keep the heat in.

Akko groaned softly from the bed.

“I shall never get up again,” she declared. “This marks the final step of my journey. Diana, wake me up in spring.”

“Does that mean, pray tell, I can be the first to take the bath?”

“Eeeh?” Akko sprung up with the strength of a catapult, scattering the pillows and covers she had covered herself with. “That’s mean! Of course I want to go first!”

“Or maybe you would prefer to go together?”

Ah, that lovely shade of red on Akko’s face. Powers, if she ever got tired of seeing Akko blushing, that would only be at the end of her life.

“I-uh, that would be… maybe we can save water…”

“Worry not,” Diana replied, sitting down next to Akko. “I made sure we can enjoy ourselves. Three baths, one for each of us, and then… if you want to show me again the customs of your land, I am positive this time I can be more open to teaching.”

“A-uh-uh.”

“Akko dearest, making you lose the gift of speaking is one of the most soothing sights I had ever experienced. If I had to pass through fire and darkness to be blessed with it, I will fear neither.”

“That’s such a fancy thing to say! You know I can’t reply to that! You’re playing dirt!” Akko pointed an accusatory finger at her. “Just because you’re so cultured and refined and everything it does not mean you can play with my feelings at your be haste!”

“Behest, Akko.”

“Whatever! I am going first, and you can do nothing about it.” Akko let herself fall once again on the bed. “Nothing at all… Powers, I am tired.”

“You are one to speak,” Diana replied, softly lying down next to Akko. Such a position they were in! The soft tinkling of Diana’s mail coat made something else sprout to her mind. “Say, Akko. Given you are going to go first, do you mind helping me take off my mail?”

“Y-you were not joking?”

“Whenever your fingers are related, Akko, you know I seldom jest.”

Akko did not have an answer to that. She seemed too preoccupied with holding her breath as her face turned once again that lovely shade of red-purple.

Diana allowed herself a small chuckle. Maybe it was just the relative safety of this place, the fact she could be here sharing this with Akko, and enjoying a few hours of bliss before they had to go out once again on the road, facing the unknown and the shadow of the Enemy… maybe it was just she had pushed this away, and told herself time and time again there would be a time, after one more mile, yet one more mile… and now that they were lying like that, she was too overwhelmed to lift her hand and pick at the fruit, no matter how low-hanging it was.

“It’s bad, hm?” Akko said, looking at the window.

Diana blinked.

“I beg your pardon?”

“The situation here. I always heard Berg was a bustling town, no a city. It seems a hollowed fish.”

“It is like you saw, Akko. Remember the merchant we met? He also said business was shrinking.”

“We are probably the first people in weeks coming to this inn, and yet they almost did not let us in.”

Diana sat on her elbows, put a hand on Akko’s shoulder.

“One thing at a time, Akko.”

“I know. It’s just… this would be the perfect moment to use magic, you know? Maybe a few fireworks would help these people. Make them a little happier. Magic is joy. This is the way it should be, not wolves and poisoned arrows and screams in the night.”

Diana did not have a reply to that.

“You know what,” Akko said, jumping off the bed. “On second thought, you wash up first. I have some stuff to do.”

“As long as you don’t use magic…”

“Not going to. My wand is probably out of shape, by now.”

Akko took their backpacks and began to rummage through it. She took out the melted lamp they had found, set it atop a nearby table, and looked at it intensely, like she was looking for some hidden answer amidst the coiled iron.

 Diana sighed inwardly. Akko’s mind seemed dead set on this, for the time being. Her attempts at winning her over would have to wait.

 

-

 

Akko knocked on the door.

“Diana, can I come in?”

“At once,” was the answer. Akko opened the door, still feeling a little embarrassed, as much as the bath she had taken had relaxed her. Her damp hair hung behind her back, while Diana’s blonde – and single silver lock – were held back by a towel.

“You are the worst friend,” Diana said as she poured the last bucket of hot water into the tub. Her limbs and her body already half-hidden by wisps of vapour. “I had to take off the coat myself.”

“Sorry,” Akko replied, scratching her neck. That _had_ been a promising offer. But she had to think about some stuff, first. To talk a little, and she did not want Diana to listen to her while she whispered at the remains of the lamp. There were a few words that she intended for Shiny Chariot’s ears alone.

Maybe that had only been her fear. Maybe Shiny Chariot _was_ still alive, and had managed to escape the Nine, no matter how dangerous they were. But she had underestimated this dark enemy once… and that cost them their horses. And one year and a half of Diana’s life.

So, no, there were a few things she was supposed to say to Chariot. Even if only to her lamp.

Part of her decisions.

“I had, uh, some stuff to do.”

“It is alright, Akko. I do jest.” Diana put the bucket away. “I can go first, if you wish.”

“No, no,” Akko replied. She walked towards the bath. Her reflection looked back at her, softly waving in the tub. “I will.”

“As you wish,” Diana softly replied. She let go of the towel holding her hair, and then of the one covering her body. “I do not mind if you stare,” Diana said with the lightest smile. “Few things are better than praise from the praise-worthy.”

And she slinked right in the tub, letting out a soft groan of pleasure form the warm water. For some reason that groan did _things_ to Akko’s mind. For a moment she felt all wobbly in the knees, as if she were about to sit down for a test. Maybe she was.

Akko entered the tub right after. She distended her legs until they touched Diana’s, and put her hands atop her shoulders.

“I thought it would be good if I started,” Akko said in a whisper. Her heart beat so fast she could hardly hear her own words. And it seemed to her to feel Diana’s own heartbeat, dimly echoing through her bones.

“What did you mean praise from the praise-worthy? Diana, you are much more beautiful than me. Much more… uh… filled out.”

Diana turned her beautiful blonde hair. Not for the first time, Akko felt like those azure eyes were pinning her to the wall.

“It is just fat,” she replied, brushing her fingers against her chest. Akko’s heart back-flipped as Diana held her breasts in her palms. “The fruit of an idle life and maybe one cake too many. Akko, would you compare me with you? Did you take a look at yourself?”

“I, uh… what’s there about me?” Akko turned her head, pouting. “It’s not like I have what you have.”

“Akko,” Diana sighed, “do you remember when I got all riled up about your lack of pants, all those days ago?”

“Yes? I do wear pants now.”

“It is not about the pants, Akko. It is all about the rounded forms that lack of pants display.”

“The rounded… oh!”

“Precisely.”

“So _that_ was the reason you got so angry! Because you were looking at my butt!”

“If you want to put so prosaically, yes.”

Akko shook her head. The idea was a little too much, even after Diana’s forwardness. Diana Cavendish had been checking out her _butt_.

Wow.

Wait, that meant…

“But… Diana… that was before we even became friends!”

“My appreciation for a well-exercised behind ran deeper than my much-cherished ties with you, Akko, though in you it has found maybe its perfected form.”

“Uh… so you… wait… did you check me out before? During the past three years, I mean!”

Did Diana look at her behind _in class_?

Diana put a thoughtful finger to her lips.

“I might have had, once or twice.”

“Y-you… and w-why did you never say anything?”

Diana fell silent for a moment.

“The same reasons as always, I gather. I was too caught up in my own grandiosity. And I wanted you to improve, and that frustrated me to no end. I never knew you, not really.”

Beneath the water, Diana’s hand softly coiled around Akko’s.

“I am starting now.”

“I thought about that,” Akko, replied. She let her forehead fall against Diana’s back. She had a soft and tangy scent. “I thought about it, you know.”

“Was this one of those decisions you spoke about before?”

“Part of it, yes.” Akko bit her lips, but decided to let it go. She could tell a few things to Diana. If she hid them, she would only end up like before coming to Luna Nova, alone and full of bright ideas that never went anywhere. “I want to look deeper into this stuff. The Seven Words and Seven Stars. I do not know how they are related to the enemy and the history of magic, not really, but I feel I am on the right track here. They are important. I want to find out more. Then with those Words we can kick the enemy’s butt or something like that. And I want to know what happened to Shiny Chariot… no matter what. And then we can all gather around and I can make some fireworks, and we can all be happy together. And not just in Luna Nova. We can go and do it in Westerndale. And here as well!”

“That is a wonderful dream,” Diana replied, her sweet smile making golden flowers bloom in Akko’s heart. “I would like to be there, Akko.”

“Yes, uh…” Akko smiled as well. “I would like it as well. I have no idea where to start, so some help would be appreciated!”

“Same here. Dire tidings await me. Beyond this one mission, beyond the war against the Enemy, cursed be His name, I will have to face what’s left of my family.”

“You were speaking about it before.”

“I only hinted at it.” Diana sighed. “I told you I used Luna Nova as a safe haven. I was maybe too young, but I could not face my duty. I will not be so craven now.” Diana’s other hand balled into a fist. “I will face the confrontation. Cavendish manor and the last homely house will answer to the rightful heir, once more.”

“Is that the heir thing? The one you were speaking about?”

“In part. Beatrix is involved, but it is a long tale, and I would put it to another time. Maybe during our next bath.”

“It’s becoming a habit, isn’t it?” Akko chuckled. “I don’t mind. It’s soothing, to stay like this with you.” Another chuckle. “To think I am looking forward to a bath together with you. How things have changed.”

“Maybe the Diana and Atsuko who began this journey really died,” Diana mused, lifting Akko’s hand from the water and kissing it softly. “Maybe they perished in that tower, holding the door. I, for one, feel both old and new.”

“I have no idea,” Akko replied, pulling Diana a little closer. “If I am old or new. I only feel confused. There’s so much I don’t know, and maybe for the first time in my life I get a glimpse at _how_ much I really know nothing about. It’s a bit frightening.” Akko held Diana even closer. Were those her own heartbeats, or Diana’s. Maybe there was not that much difference anymore. Lulled by the warm water, maybe it was not even important. “In times like these, it’s a good thing to have a friend close, a close friend.” Akko chuckled. “Thank you.” A pause. Slowly, without letting go of Akko’s hand, Diana turned in the bathtub. She faced now Akko, and her azure eyes were clear through the white mist. Akko silently touched the silver strand amidst the gold. “Do you think we will come back to Luna Nova?” She asked.

“No. Diana and Atsuko will not come back to Luna Nova. I think those who departed are lost forever, and now we live in their place, and we have been gifted their duties and their graces alike. The Diana I knew would never be here, desperately holding back the tide that would have her push you gently against the skin of the water, Akko, dearest, and greet every inch of your body with a soft kiss and a promise of more. It is not the vapour that flushes my cheeks, and not the water that warms my chest, and not the fire that has taken residence in my loins.” Diana’s other hand touched Akko’s face, softly. “Powers, you have changed. Or maybe you have remained the same, and it was I who changed, who learned to appreciate you for what you are. Thus I do not think we will come back to Luna Nova. For the Diana who was unable not to love you has perished forever. Do not be so surprised! I am merely putting in words what I conveyed in action. If you were to grace me with your affection, Akko, know that I would ask for nothing more, for nothing else, to meet that affection with everything I can offer, as meager as it is. And if you were not, know I ask only the chance to stay with you ere the end, at the end, until the end.”

Akko sighed.

“You really speak too much.”

Diana chuckled softly.

“I am not joking! That was so long to listen to! And so embarrassing. I don’t know how to answer.” Akko bit her lips as her heart wrestled her mind for words. Diana’s presence, so close, so warm, so soft… it was making this unnecessarily difficult. “This feels different, you know.”

“Different from what?”

“Different from Lotte, or Sucy. I would never get a bath with Sucy, she would pour who knows what into the water! And Lotte would be way too embarrassed. Maybe Amanda would be up to it, but she would pull some practical joke. I wouldn’t like that, not when, I am… well… like this. With no clothes on. You feel different. I can be safe with you.” A determined expression settled on Akko’s face. She had thought long and hard about this. But thinking was overrated, at least in these matters. She pulled Diana closer, and for once she was not the one who blushed. “And I don’t know why! You feel different, think different, look different! Look at me! I am here with you and I feel like I cannot fall anymore. Stumble, maybe. I am not that good. But I-… ah, for my Ancestors! That’s about enough!”

“Enough wh-”

Diana would never finish that line. Akko put her hand on Diana’s cheek, shut her eyes like she was about to plunge deep into deep dark waters – for in a way she was – and she dragged her closer. Her breaths intermingled. There was a moment when she thought she could hesitate, and the space between their lips grew to an impossible distance, and then she was brushing against those lips, and pressing against them.

They were surprisingly soft. It was a bit like kissing a velvet pillow, except Diana’s lips replied, and replied with enthusiasm. Her arms coiled around her neck and drew her closer and closer, until their chests touched each other. Some wandering thoughts sparked for a moment in Akko’s mind – _she’s really big!_ – before they too were swallowed in the moment. The moment was passing her lips against those of Diana’s Cavendish, and finding that it was, in a way, a little bit like coming home.

This was what Akko found, in that space between them, that space she had finally crossed. A single burning ember that felt like coming home, taking her shoes off and running to hug Father and Mother. And who knows what Diana might be thinking.

She would ask her, but later.

“Please don’t let go of me,” Akko softly whispered against Diana’s lips.

“Not if my arms were cut,” Diana replied, and captured her lips once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I truly apologize for skipping an update. I spent Easter with family and going hike. I truly needed a respite from work and some other worries. I spent wonderful days with my family and writing took a bit of a backseat.  
> I have no such wholesome excuses for last night, though: I was merely drunk. 
> 
> But now we are here! First kiss delivered! I have to admit I had to rewrite this chapter, I was not at all satisfied with the way it flowed at first, so I erased about three thousand words and started over. I hope this was satisfying, the first real stepping stone in their relationship. It was important to me that Akko was the one truly taking initiative here. She's still a little frightened, but Diana has showed the consistency of her attraction and support for a long while, and it was maybe time to give her credit and take the plunge.
> 
> A lighter moment amidst a sea of mounting darkness, I must say. Some of your last comments pointed out we are about to see a further change in the story's tone, and we're getting there, little by little. That M rating is a few chapters away,just as the kiss was. The reason I am putting it there is that the jump from T to M is... fundamental in the story, and it marks a powerful shift, together with pointing out a few things I believe about some stuff... you will read it, rest assured. I may be a little slower with updates and skipping here and there but I will see this story finished. 
> 
> I only hope you will keep supporting me ere the end, at the end, until the end. 
> 
> And please leave a comment! Comments in this chapter are extra important because I'd like to know how you felt about the kiss! Thank you again for your ongoing support, and see you next Saturday!


	27. XXV - Tale of the Red Witch and the Blue

Shadows had lengthened. They had slipped under the vigilant gaze of Berg’s people, and were now wandering around, sniffing at each door, hissing and gnawing, looking for the right place, searching for their mark.

Diana was ignorant of all this, when she woke up, blinking. No light was in the room.

“Akko?” She called. No answer. A faint murmur seemed to fill the room, coming from downstairs. “Akko?” Diana called again. She had been used, once, to wake up alone. Now it was… she rubbed her eyes. Where was Akko? Sorrow latched onto her heart at her next thought: _why would she leave me alone_?

They had… memories rushed in, and Diana stopped. They had…

She passed her fingers over her lips. It was still there.

Soft breaths echoed in the room.

She had kissed Akko.

No, wait, Akko had kissed her _first_.

She had kissed her later, in return.

Surrounded by the mist of the hot tub.

A chuckle escaped out of Diana’s lips. A single bubble of pure joy. It had felt… it had felt like coming home. To her real, true home.

She had kissed _Akko_.

Did that mean… but why would she leave?

Diana clothed herself in her travel trousers. It was cold outside the bed, but she would brave it to find Akko. She also put on the rest of her clothes and covered herself in one of the spare sheets she had found. There. Looking a little like a lost seagull, Diana walked out of the room. She had left her wand in the room. For some reason, she knew she would not need it, not right away.

The presence of the Enemy, which had loomed over her like a dark cloud for almost every hour during this mission, had disappeared. It was like taking off a heavy weight she had almost become accustomed to bearing. Diana drew in a breath. Air was strong and sweet. Where was Akko? She must be near. Akko would not go wandering all alone, would she?  

She would not leave her.

“Akko,” Diana whispered again. In the dim hallway, echoes of light could be seen, or maybe it was just her eyes getting accustomed. Diana had yet to truly get used to the lack of magic in her life. For all her worries, small everyday problems had been so easily brushed aside by that comfortable presence.

Intoning a Song just to get a little light would be silly, atop of dangerous. Thus, Diana, feeling a little vulnerable, walked downstairs, making sure not to let go of the wall.

One step, two steps. Three steps. Someone was talking, downstairs. A young voice, one she had learned to love. A smile, unbidden, came to Diana’s lips. Akko.

But what was she doing down there, all alone?

Diana’s foot touched the final step, and right behind the corner saw a scene she would not have believed possible, not in this age.

Akko stood right in front of the fire, facing four people, their dark silhouettes unmoving, listening to Akko with bated breath. The Innkeeper held his wife, and next to her sat the girl who had opened the door that evening, and a younger boy, whom Diana had yet to meet.

“And then I have an even better story,” Akko said. Her eyes shifted for a moment to meet Diana’s. She seemed to flush, but she did not stop. Taking Diana’s presence in stride, Akko twirled and took a bow, holding both arms in front of her. “Honoured guest,” she welcomed her, “please sit down with us. For we are about to start a new tale.”

Diana had no reply. She was too busy smiling and holding back her prickling eyes.

Akko was there. Doing what she had always wanted to do. What she was made for.

For a moment, Diana was back in the forest, asking Akko about their fresh start, and watching Akko’s maroon eyes clouding over as they spoke of fireworks and warming hearts, of tales around the campfire, and what the Grey Witch had meant to her.

Seven Stars and Seven Words.

Diana sat down and smiled, and she nodded, and Akko nodded in return, and she came back to speak, in a hushed voice.

“Now, please, lend your ears and your heart to me. For this is an old tale, a tale of my land.” Akko sat back on the stones of the hearth, letting the crackling fire frame her. Gold and red caught in her hair, and Diana’s heart jumped. She was so beautiful. Then Akko spoke again, and the spell was not broken, but changed.

“Atop a certain tower, the Red Witch lived.” At the mention of Witches, a soft uneasiness went through the room like an ill wind. But Akko kept speaking, and it passed. “The Red Witch had always felt like she wanted to become friends with humans.”

Akko lifted her hands as it attach something to a wall.

“ _Home of a Witch of gentle heart. Anyone is welcome. I have tasty sweets and I am boiling tea!_ ” Akko smiled even wider. “Such signs and posts she wrote and put it in front of the wide road that brought to her tower, and in front of her house, and attached to her door. However, the humans doubted, and not a single one came to play, or to share tales around a cup of tea.”

Akko paused, her smile faltering but a little.

“The Red Witch was extremely saddened, frustrated for not being trusted. One day, she finally lost her temper, and removed the signposts she went through the effort of placing.”

Diana’s mind wandered back to a time, a few years ago… someone was lying in a bed.

She was unmoving, the figure. She did not speak anymore, and her hand was clammy in Diana’s own two, smaller, hands, hands of a child.

Diana batted her eyelashes. She bit her lip. The soft voice of the Gray Witch, as she shook her head and withdrew her staff from the place where the figure lay, unmoving. The empty look in the Grey Witch’s crimson eyes.

Nobody had come.

Just like in the stories, hm?

Diana took a long breath. It was not time for such memories. Akko had a tale to tell.

“By the time the Red Witch was overcome with lone sadness, her friend, the Blue Witch, at last came to visit.” Akko stopped, her eyes searching for Diana.

 _Please don’t let go of me_.

Diana passed her palm about her eyes. Were they damp?

She would never let go.

“Having heard the Red Witch’s plight, the Blue Witch thought of one thing. And that was: _the Blue Witch departs to the human villages and goes on a rampage. There the Red Witch shows up and punishes the Blue Witch. Doing this the humans will understand the Red Witch is of kind heart_. That was the plan.”

Akko paused once again.

Diana bit her lip.

“The Red Witch did not like the plan and thought the Blue Witch would expose herself to inexcusable danger, but the Blue Witch brought the Red Witch along forcefully, aiming for the village the humans lived in. And then at last the plan was realized. The Blue Witch attacked the village, the Red Witch earnestly protected and rescued the villagers.”

Once again Akko paused. She seemed to share Diana’s own thoughts. She had spoken with Andrew’s father, had she not? Thus she knew. She knew for sure.

“The plan succeeded, thanks to that the Red Witch became friends with the humans, the villagers started coming to play to the Red Witch’s towers, and many cups of tea were brewed, and many tales shared around them. And having made friends with the humans, the Red Witch kept playing every single day, living every day fully.”

Akko lifted a finger.

“But the Red Witch wondered about one thing. That was…” her eyes shot towards Diana, “her best friend. The Blue Witch had not come to play once single time ever since that. The reason being she was now living with humans thanks to the Blue Witch, the Red Witch not being able to report the present situation, decided to go visit the Blue Witch’s home.”

Was _her_ home still in one piece? Daryl must have had sold every piece of furniture not nailed down, and then she must have had taken the nails off and sold them as well. Diana flexed her fingers, trying to calm herself down. She would have to face it soon.

But not alone.

Akko resumed talking.

“However, the Blue Witch’s house door was shut tightly, besides the door she found a paper. And upon it she read: _Red Witch, dearest, please become friends with humans, live having fun. If I kept your company like this, you too would be assumed to be an evil Witch. That is why I will now depart on a journey, but I will never forget you. Farewell, please take care of yourself. I will be your friend forever more._ Such was the farewell letter left by the Blue Witch.”

Diana’s eyes met Akko’s once again.

 _I would not let go of you_ , Diana said with her eyes.

 _Please do not_ , Akko replied.

“And the Red Witch stayed silent, read the letter two times, three times, and shed tears.”

Silence filled the room. For a few, glistening, moments it seemed to Diana like she had known these people forever. In their eyes she saw her own sorrow, in her own sorrow she saw the echo of their own loneliness, their fear for the winter to come and the bleak things that gnawed at the roots of the earth, deep, deep down below.

“That was not a happy story,” said the boy at last, kicking his feet. The moment passed.

“Few are,” Diana interjected. “Most tales deal with sorrow, of the heart or come from foul deeds, and out of that sorrow we may at times extract words of comfort.”

“I want another story!” The boy protested.

“Enough for tonight,” the Innkeeper scolded him. “Lady Akko has entertained us all enough. And we do need sleep, other than words.”

Diana chuckled.

“As sad as that is.”

“Will you come again?” The boy asked. “To tell more tales?”

“Who knows,” Akko replied, and her maroon eyes followed Diana’s. _Do you think they will come back?_   “But if I do come back, I promise I will have merrier tales to share.”

“Please come back soon,” the boy begged. Akko just chuckled and scratched behind her neck.

“Thank you for the help,” the Innkeeper’s wife said Akko. “We needed that.”

“Really? It has been my pleasure! I love to tell tales! I always did! I only wished I could share more!”

“That has been enough. I believe he will ask us to tell your stories again and again! Luckily we both listened and can hopefully remember enough!”

Akko walked over to Diana.

“I woke you up.”

“Ah, Akko, dearest. That was most welcome an occurrence. I would trade sleep for your stories any day.”

“Oh, now… that… that is very kind… to say.” Akko turned her head towards the fire, as if to pretend her blush had come out of that kind of heat.

“Was the bath to your liking?” The Innkeeper asked as he gently put the fire to rest and escorted them towards the stairs.

“Yes! Uh… I really needed that,” Akko replied. She was blushing again, and this far from the fire she did not have an excuse, not really, but what mattered was it was not important to have an excuse anymore.

“I am glad.” The Innkeeper paused, looked them over. “I know not why you are here,” he said at last, “but I do know what you are.”  
Diana slowly walked in front of Akko, putting herself between the Innkeeper and Akko.

“Ah, peace!” He hushed. “Rest assured I wish you no harm, nor any will come to you out of my hand. I just wish to let you know that I was pleasantly surprised to meet… your kind. Lady Akko, lady Diana. At times it seems we should listen more to old stories rather than the foul whispers of people.”

“That is a wise decision,” Diana replied, relaxing. “And you are not alone in sharing your sorrow. We as well have… missed out, on more than one occasion. I hope, once this Darkness will pass, we may meet again, amend fences, heal what can be healed.”

“But will the Darkness pass?” The Innkeeper asked wearily.

“It will!” Akko replied, full of conviction. “It will! We will make it pass! I am sure!”

“Ah, Lady Akko. When I hear it from your mouth, it is hard not to believe it. Go, now. I will make sure you receive a hearty breakfast in the morning. Your silver, and your words, have more than paid for it.”

Akko and Diana waved their hands in goodbye and climbed upstairs. After the first flight of stairs, Diana’s hand reached for Akko’s and Akko welcomed it.

“What was that story?” Diana asked.

“Ah, sorry, sorry. I tried to get some sleep, but I kept on thinking about these people,” she replied. “Even if you said everything has its own time, I… I just couldn’t sleep!” She yawned. “Powers! Do I need to. But I thought I would come downstairs and see if there was anything I could do. We share stories when we are unhappy, in my land, so it’s something I know how to do. Sorry if I woke you up.”

“No, you… indeed, Akko, you should have awakened me in any case.”

“Sorry! You looked so peaceful. I might have looked at you for a few moments while you were sleeping, too. Sorry!”

Diana chuckled. It was now once again her turn to feel heat come up to kiss her cheeks.

“You are allowed to do that. You can look at me sleeping, and play with my hair if you wish so, and brsuh your fingers against my cheek, and I will have better dreams for it.”

“Oh, I did not think about… can I really?”

Diana’s only answer was her smile.

As they entered the room, and Diana closed the door behind herself, she did not let go of Akko’s hand.

They were now once again in the dark. The only light was that of the embers deep in her chest. The only music their intermingled breaths.

“Wake me up next time,” Diana whispered as she pressed her body against Akko. Her soft chest against Akko’s hardened, nimble body. Her arms hugged that strong back. “I dared to think I had lost you.”

“H-hey,” Akko answered. “I would not abandon you! C-come on! We are friends. And… and I would miss you! I think I would… uh…” Akko scratched her nose. Her skin was so warm, especially around her neck, her face. “I think I would miss k-kissing you.”

Diana chuckled.

“I share your sentiment, tenfold.”

“And it’s not like we are going back, are we? We took our time! Thank you for… thank you for taking your time with me, Diana.” Akko drew her closer. “I… there were times when I thought I wanted to really… just… just hold you, and kiss you, and never let you go. But I had to… I think I had to believe a little more in myself, before!” Akko stopped speaking for a moment. Her breaths lingered. “I always wanted to have things as soon as I wanted them! But I… I wanted to make sure I _really_ wanted this. Wanted, uhm, you.”

Diana let out a long sigh.

“Akko.”

“Yes?”

“You truly are skilled with words. In your own way. You manage to say the kindest things.”

“I-I do? I think I stutter a lot.”

“And that also is endearing.”

Akko chuckled.

They held each other.

Their silence comfortable, the space between them filled, no darkness could assail them, for the moment.

“I am happy they liked my story, even if it was a bit sad.”

“It was indeed full of sorrow. Yet sorrow is the best teacher. I gather you are trying to mend what we broke in hundreds of years of isolation? Akko Kagari, always the daring Witch!”

“One has to start from somewhere. That, and because I always liked that story. It is sad, but sweet and strong. It’s like you.”

No light was around them, yet Diana did not have to look to find Akko’s cheek, to slide her fingers down until she touched her chin, tilted it, until she married Akko’s lips to her own. She was home again, and home was right besides her, and holding her. Home tasted sweet and smelled tangy, and it reminded her of those lazy days by the river, but now she would be able to share them. Akko’s soft mumbles and almost-sighs sparked in her chest, like shooting stars touching each other, like the fireworks Akko so much loved. Maybe Diana could be a little like a firework, one day.

She came up for breath. Why did she need breath again? Powers, why did she need water, and sleep, and food, and what curse had been bestowed upon her, that she could not find nourishment just in words, and in Akko’s lips against her own?

“It was a little hard to hold back,” Akko chuckled. “But I think it was worth it. What I want to see is… is… what I want to… say…is…”

Diana held Akko’s hands. At first, she only thought Akko was still a little shaken with emotion, but as soon as a tenuous white light began to shine, she gasped.

“I want to say… say... M... Ma... _Mayenab Dysheebudo_.”

The light enveloped them. It shone like their personal dawn. Akko’s eyes were wide, and reflected in Diana’s own. For a moment, one blessed moment, they were one.

Then the light faded, and they were in the dark once again.

“Akko!” Diana cried.

“I… uh… were those…? I tried looking for more! I tried to find more Words. I did not speak to you about it, but… why now?”

“There are Seven. Seven. These came because… because you were patient. We both were! Akko! This mission, this journey, what if-”

She was cut off.

A pressure burst in. Diana froze.

“W-what’s that?”

They were not alone anymore.

“The Words. Of course.”

All around them, darkness seemed to grow thicker, like myriads of sleeping eyes, until then slumbering and unaware, had been opened, one after the other, and under their congregated gaze Akko and Diana withdrew.

“The Enemy has felt it.” Diana chuckled, despite the growing danger, with the boldness of one who has solved a riddle, or at least part of it. “Ha! He knows fear. And He knows rage! The Words, Akko! They must be the reason…!”

The pressure thickened all around her. Diana breathed as if through thick mist, and yet that light that had shone but for a moment seemed to be present still, and hold the Darkness back.

“Ha! I see now! I see! Akko! Akko! This is our chance, don’t you see! The Words!”

But before Diana could finish that line of thought, something else rose through the air. A foul cry, like a raven, or a thousand of them, and talons against stone, and the scattering cries of befouled beasts, all rose and thinned, together, in a twisted chorus and sounded like needles being put through their ears.

Diana groaned and Akko followed in tow. They fell to their knees as the shriek intensified.

“What’s… what’s this? P-p-please stop!” Akko groaned as she tried covering her ears.

But the shriek seemed to grow even more, it seemed like grinding stones and gnawing teeth, right in the middle of her skull, rattling her bones and making her skin crawl… until it slowly disappeared,and yet it carried with it the sense of victory that Diana had felt. Foolish of her. The Darkness might have dissipated for a moment. But the Enemy's arm had grown long.

Foolish.

 “They are here,” Diana said, her hands shaking as if from after a long and taxing day of labour. “They are here. They have come. Oh, Powers. Please not all of them, please not all of them _together_ …”

“Diana! Speak to me! W-who?” Akko asked.

As if in answer, a chorus of the same shrieks rose to grind against the air.

Eight of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always knew, when I began this story, that there would be That One Chapter. The one you dread writing. Not the one that will finally make the story's rating jump, no, not at all. That's like a soft breeze. No. That One Chapter where you put a little bit of your soul in, the chapter that you hope can pass over something. Writing this one... I dreaded to, for the longest time. I think I have reached the highest satisfaction in this story yet, and there are so many more wonderful scenes I still want to write that have a potentially higher payoff!  
> I can count... at least six of them yet to come, potentially seven. Eight, if we will manage to reach the ending the way I envisioned it.  
> So rest assured you have much more to look forward to.  
> Also: more Words stuff! Will Akko be able to understand how she can reach for all of them? Will they be able to bring the iron box to the White Witch? And what's inside? Questions, questions.
> 
> Oh, and thank you for the lovely comments (and mails!) last time! I had an extremely busy week, but I will sit down and reply to all of them, the old ones and the new ones. You really areall worthy of a reply, and I treasure your comments more than I dare say!   
> Likely you will receive a reply tomorrow, if you write one down now!  
> Also please let me know what you think, especially about Akko's tale, and the second kiss. Yup, we're entering full-fledged relationship territory guys! Hope you will stick around, even if, as you have noticed, I have this horrible, horrible habit of finishing a chapter on a cliffhanger. Must be a genetic predisposition or something.
> 
> I will see you all tomorrow! (Those who leave a comment, that is!) And I will see all of you next Saturday, for more enticing times! I really hope our lovely ladies fare well! As you have seen with Lotte, I do not pull my punches.
> 
> Thank you again for your ongoing support. I will try to give you the best story I can, and from now we are in full emotional rollcoaster! No brakes!


	28. XXVI - Under the ceiling, over the roof

Sucy seldom listened and often spoke. But these days, her mouth was at rest, and only her hands moved. They worked hard, pouring mixture after mixture, mixing ingredients, never letting go of a knife, or a fungus, of a fruit or vegetable or any other ingredient, common or not, which might prove to be the solution to the predicament her friend was in. Her fingers trembled, and the small terracotta pot where she kept some herbs passed through her hands like they were air.

Sucy sighed, and slowly took a step back, until the wall held her up, and maybe only the wall. She slowly sled down until her legs touched the floor.

A gurgling laughter threatened to erupt for a moment from her chest, but maybe she was only choking back on something else.

And Lotte looked towards the ceiling, unmoving, on the bed.

At times she seemed to recognize her, to _see_ her, and not just to look past her, searching for something that seemed unreachable to her, and Sucy though only for the better.

Once or twice a day, Lotte would lift her hand and grasp at something in the air, something that was not there.

She would shake her head and fall back on her the bed.

Sucy groaned. Enough crying over her wasted efforts. Enough crying over Akko leaving with that damn heiress and leaving her _alone_ and forgotten, she had someone in her care. She stood up again, dusting off her clothes as if nothing had happened.

From the other side of the bed, Constanze looked at her, her perpetual frown somewhat deepened by her show of weakness.

She would have had a few choice words for Constanze once, sharp words, cutting words, words that would keep her up all night. Sucy shook her head. Not the time.

Sucy grabbed another of her admixtures and walked towards the bed, pointedly ignoring the tall, purple-haired Witch sitting next to Lotte, one hand holding her heavy black staff, the other put on her forehead.

“Hey,” Sucy said as if the White Witch was not even there, “I have something for you. A new one. This is really good. Orange flavored. I bet you do not even know what an orange is, living all day in that frozen wasteland of yours. Here, drink.”

Sucy pushed the potion towards Lotte’s lips, but her arm was blocked by a vicious metal grip.

“Let go,” she said the small metal figurine. If _this_ was the results of two years of studying under the White Witch, Constanze was a disappointment.

The metal figurine did not comply. Its small etched arms held tight against Sucy’s own.

Constanze shook her head.

“Please do not disturb,” the White Witch said, her eyes closed, as she moved her fingers in a series of strange patterns over Lotte’s forehead.

“Who do you think _you_ are,” Sucy barked at the Witch. “You are not helping, either. I know my stuff, and I know _her_. You are only probably making her wors-eeeeeeh!”

The White Witch flicked her wrist. An invisible force took hold of Sucy’s body and flung her past the bed, the table, the doors, dropping her in the corridor.

The doors closed behind her.

“Hey!” Sucy banged on the door, but it was as if wood had turned into stone. “Hey! Let me in, you pale failure! You don’t know her!”

Silence.

“Hey! Stupid door!” Sucy kicked it. Satisfying, and yet it provided only pain to her foot. “Hehehe,” Sucy gurgled, “everyone is taking advantage of good little old Sucy, are they not? Everyone is taking advantage of Sucy, yes. Winter, trees, mushrooms and Witches, old and young! Everyone is casting little old Sucy away!”

She waved her fist at the door.

“Well, I am not going anywhere! We’ll see who is going to win this in the end!”

She scowled and coiled herself in a small dark blue pile next to the door, her arms around her legs.

Who knew how Lotte was faring, inside.

She did not even have any… any useful magic to try and listen! All their wands had been confiscated by the pale failure inside. They could not even _do_ any magic! Too dangerous, it had been said to them, and ti could invite more accidents like that which had overtaken Lotte.

Well, Sucy did not give a damn!

“Stupid Witch,” she muttered.

Slowly, Sucy took something out from her clothes. It was a folded paper sheet, already so consumed it looked more like parchment than anything else.

“You did not even listen, did you…?” Sucy muttered. No matter how many times she read the letter to Lotte, she never seemed to reply. Or even to understand.

Whatever had happened in the catacombs…

If Sucy had not left…

Spores and dendrites, if she had _not_ left, the White Witch would not have been able to arrive in time! And be useful, for once! They were supposed to help her, not… not…

“This is all your fault,” Sucy grumbled, not even knowing whom she was referring to.

She unfolded the paper.

 _Hey, Sucy, Lotte_!

Heh. Akko had written her name first.

_I hope this will reach you, me and Diana have just left Westerndale, which is a huge city atop a rock in the middle of a lake, you should see it! It’s so beautiful, though people are a bit cold. I miss you so much! I am having fun with this adventure, though I might have put my neck in line once or twice, but you know me! And by the way Diana is with me always, and she’s actually really sweet, I bet you’d never guess!_

Sucy curled her lip in disgust. Akko must have had smoked something. The next few lines were all praise for little miss perfect, so Sucy always skimmed them over. Akko spoke of such trivial things as _beautiful_ and _amazing_ and _brave_ and _saved my life_.

Sucy was sure those words meant nothing.

_But most of all I miss you two! How are you two doing? I hope classes are not too hard, this is our final year after all. Lotte, please keep an eye on Sucy, try and make sure she does not poison too many people._

_Sucy, watch Lotte’s back!_

_Uhm, maybe I should have written two letters…_

Sucy chuckled. As scatterbrained, honest and adorable as ever.

_I really miss you! Please write me, send the letters to Andrew, he will make sure they reach me! This mission is a little scary but it’s fun, and by the way Diana is always with me an-_

More pointless drivel. Sucy skimmed over to the end.

_All in all, I really regret you two are not with me in this adventure! Maybe when I come back we can all travel together!_

_I miss you two the most! I might have said it already but it’s true! Can’t wait to see you again!_

“Please come back soon,” Sucy replied in a whisper, looking back at the magically-shut door. “We all miss you a great deal.”

She folded the letter back again, put inside her clothes, and did not move again, patiently waiting for the door to open again.

 

-

 

Amanda seldom spoke, and often acted. She paced back and forth in her room, looking like she was trying to put the pieces together. Hannah waited for her, sitting on the bed, her hands in her lap.

Amanda paced back and forth. At times she lifted her head, like some sudden intuition had suddenly stroke her like a lightning turning a tree aflame.

Then she bowed her head and paced back and forth, back and forth, like a never-ending tide.

“I…” Hannah began. She gulped. Tried again. “I can bring you something to eat. If you want.”

Amanda blinked, her beautiful aquamarine eyes looking at Hannah as if she saw her for the first time.

“You are still here,” she commented, with the same tone she could have used if the bed had sprouted wings and begun flapping around.

“Y-yes,” Hannah fumbled for words. “I-I-I thought you might like, or, or…or need the company. Given the curfew.”

“Tch,” Amanda spit in a corner. “White Witch or not, she had not right. Taking our wands? Taking our _brooms_?”

“It’s… it’s for our safety,” Hannah tried to reply.

“You would defend her, would you not? Typical.”

“No, I…”

“Listen why are you even _here_? Scram!”

Hannah shook, as if hit by a foul wind. She made no move.

“I… I just thought you might… like… the company.”

“I am perfectly fine!” Amanda turned, crossing her arms. “I want you out of my room in three, two…”

Hannah did not move.

“…one…”

“I… I am not going anywhere.”

“Just get out. I don’t need you here. Why are you not with your friend, that other lackey?”

“B-Barbara is sleeping right now. She… she is not well. She cried her eyes out.” Hannah looked down at her lap. “I… I stayed by her side until she managed to get some sleep. Then I… I went looking for you. Barbara thinks… she thinks what happened to… to Lotte is her fault.”

“She would be wrong,” Amanda replied, balling her fists. “It was not _Lotte_ who was supposed to show you around. It was not _Lotte_ who should have… should have…” Amanda punched the wall.

 _Bam_.

 _Ba-bam_.

“It was not her _fault_ ,” Amanda said, slumping down to the floor.

Hannah, maybe because she was being bolder than she had ever been in her life, or maybe because there was something in her heart, something that had slumbered blindly during all those years of picking on Akko, and only recently had been awakened, let go of the bed, let go of her own shirt, and walked towards Amanda.

She hesitated a moment.

She put her hand on Amanda’s shoulder.

She trembled, but did not swat her hand away.

“I am not good with words,” Hannah replied. “I have been a coward. Barbara… I think she found her courage. And without Diana…” Hannah slumped down behind Amanda. “I don’t think it’s your fault,” Hannah whispered.

“You are wrong,” Amanda replied.

“I don’t think it’s your fault.” Hannah took her hand.

Amanda did not let go.

 

## -

 

Akko often spoke, and often acted, most of time carelessly. Thus, a moment of clarity was rare occurrence for her.

 _I will remember this,_ she told herself, for no reason.

Her left hand on the window, the sensation of rough wood under her palm.

The thunderous echoes of her beating heart, a mixture of fear, apprehension, and lack of understanding.

And her eyes, turning to look at Diana.

They were about to reach for the window. Jump on the rooftop, and from there, try and escape. The horrible cries that had wounded her ears were closing in, and yet for some reason, as Akko looked at what she could glimpse of Diana in the palest light of the moon, saw her maybe for the first time.

Maybe whole.

Diana was looking at her. Akko saw her opened her mouth, her eyes, her hair, the single grey strand, her clothes, armor, the tension making her fingers tremble, one hand already enclosed around her new wand.

Something struck her.

Akko had not taken anything with her.

Save for what she carried already on her person: the bow pressing on her back, her almost-forgotten wand hanging at her side.

She had not taken her supplies.

She had not taken Shiny Chariot’s lamp.

She had not taken anything, but her other hand was firmly holding Diana’s own.

The one thing she had made sure to bring with her.

This… she would remember this.

Words floated under the surface of her confused consciousness. Not the Words she had just spoken, as important as those were.

No, some other kind, some kind that Akko had only heard about in stories, maybe listened to Mother whisper to Father’s ear, maybe heard Lotte mutter from all those stories she read, as enthralled as she was, and maybe Sucy had said to her mushrooms, once or twice.

She had never understood them, she thought she would _never_.

And yet…

Akko leaned forward. Just before she jumped on the roof, she took Diana by the neck and, thinking nothing of the surprise she saw colour Diana’s face for a moment, she put her lips against Diana’s once again.

Not for long.

Just to make sure.

Akko was pretty sure.

She let go of Diana.

She grinned.

“For luck,” she explained herself, and jumped on the roof.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the late update, and for it being such a short one. I had the roughest week yet, something quite big came up, and my creative drive was obliterated for a few days.   
> Yet I did not want to leave you wholly without a chapter, so I decided to write something a little shorter (I am not going to wrestle with such an important scene such as the one I was ought to write in the state I am in), and maybe a little sweeter. You know I like bittersweet the best, so here we have seen Witches young and old dealing with each other, missing each other, and maybe loving each other a little more.
> 
> Thank you as always for your support. I hope bad things pass and I can come back on top. I hope you will keep on supporting this tale, please let me know with your comments what you think, feedback is always a great help. And, really, really, thank you for your support. I read your comments this week. Old and new alike, they were like hundreds of tiny flames warming me while I was in a particularly bad moment. So thank you again, a lot.  
> I hope you liked this short piece. See you soon with the new update, and I hope I will be back to true form.
> 
> Also happy Mother's Day!


	29. XXVII - Fire! Fear! Foes!

Akko held Diana’s hand as they ran. It was the only thing that mattered.

That, and trying hold it together. Akko winced as the same horrible _pressure_ she had twice felt tried to shear through her ear and reach for her mind, bend her down, break her will. It spoke of bad memories, old wounds.

Akko blinked, and saw her first few days at Luna Nova, belittled by everyone. In her mind, for a moment, the old image of haughty, cold Diana appeared in front of the beautiful and brave Witch she had kissed.

But Akko had made a promise. Mostly to herself. It was not just a matter of Words.

“Laugh all you want,” Akko muttered as she turned to Diana, who also stumbled as the echoes also seemed to reach for her. “Hey. Hey. Diana. You are here. I am here.” Diana’s eyes searched for Akko, unfocused, then focused again, her beautiful azure gaze now aiming true for Akko’s maroon one.

“Akko. I thought…”

“It’s that dumb enemy making you think things you should not. We are here. We are together. We are, uhm… running away. Is there a plan? I thought you were the one with the plan.”

Akko had a tiny sliver of a plan herself, but she would need a couple minutes of peace and quiet to put it through, together with a tacit assurance from Berg’s inhabitants they would not mind a few houses going puff in flames.

Quite hard to get, all things considered.

“I… I never faced the Nine, not even one of them. Akko! Akko, how can we…”

“We _are_ going to escape.” Akko held Diana by her shoulders, lightly shaking her, as other echoes of whispering words pierced through her ears. She winced, but did not let go. She hugged Diana, closer and closer, as the echoes passed over like wings of death. “I do not how. Well I have a little clue. But I am sure we are going to make it. It’s like you said. The chief weapon of the enemy is…”

“… desperation,” Diana replied. “And fear.” She licked her lips, holding her shaking hands together. “Yes. Yes, indeed. Akko, it is not for me I am afraid. If the Nine get to you…”

“I will think of something. Like that time with the tower, and the wolves.”

“Like that time. Yes.”

“Alright, Diana. What is the plan? How do we get out? And down?”

Diana blinked, assessing their situation. Akko turned to take a look behind them. It seemed to her like she saw something approaching the inn they had just left. Something human-shaped, darker than black.

“They think we are inside,” Akko muttered. Her eyes left the inn and searched for something, something that could… there. There. “Diana, when I give the signal, jump down from the roof, enter that corner there, do you see it? Good.”

“What kind of signal?”

Akko took the briefest moment to notice how Diana complied without hesitation, choosing to listen to her, to the trust they shared. Two months before, that would have been folly.

Something inside Akko sang. She smiled.

“Something you’ll recognize!”

Diana leaned towards the roof’s edge. Akko fumbled with something she had put, thank Powers, inside the quiver where she kept her few arrows. It was something she had been thinking about for a while.

 

-

 

_Akko looked down at her meagre arsenal_.

_While Diana was sleeping, she had taken the decision to go after the Words._

_That was the biggest and most important decision she had taken in the last three years, and Akko took her decisions seriously. Thus she had taken her time to peer at her arrows, her new bow, and what she could do with it._

_She had yet to seriously train with her new weapon. It was sturdier and might be more precise than Father’s bow, but it was also a little harder to wield. Still untamed, in a way. And there was the matter of all these nebulous enemies Diana was talking about._

_One thing that had seemed to work, though, Akko thought remembering their fight with the wolves, had been…_

_Akko clasped her hands._

_“Fireworks,” she said_.

 

-

 

This better work. She had only five of them.

There had been a time, before the Grey Witch, when Akko had known how to make fireworks, without the use of magic. A simpler time, a duller time. A time without Lotte’s comforting words, or Sucy’s mysterious concoctions, a time without Hannah and Barbera’s teasing, a time without Diana Cavendish’s lips upon her own.

Akko had stored charcoal from the fires they had lit, in abundance. It was good quality, black and fine. Saltpeter she had found in the old ruined tower, taking a bit with herself just before leaving with Diana.

As for Sulphur… when they had bathed in hot waters Akko had taken time to scratch something for future use.

She had to prove herself, after all! Diana was trying so hard to be friendly, Akko had to show something in return.

Some of that would be the black arrowheads she had fashioned.

She only hoped Berg’s inhabitants would forgive her.

Akko had always shown a tendency to blow stuff up.

Now it was the right moment to use it.

For a few moments, as Akko pulled the bowstring tight, and air pulled tight with it, she let her breath guide her.

_Breathe in, breathe out_. She could do this. The black arrow seemed to cut a triangle of blackness amongst the yet-darker night.

_Yi-yo, yi-yo_! Akko thought.

And let go.

The arrow from her bow sprang.

Akko turned and jumped away, trying to put as much distance as she could between herself and the arrow as it whizzed higher and higher, rising into the blind sky.

Then, light and a rumble of thunder, like Akko had bottled up a storm inside her arrow, and a flash and echoes of deep pounding had been put inside it.

She did not turn to take a look at it, but she imagined the explosion, an ephemeral flower of gold and red, giving light and heat to her hopes for a moment, a ringing of light against the blackness of their situation.

Diana rolled right next to her, her hair disheveled, and Akko saw the last reflections of far-away sparks in her eyes.

“Akko…! That will draw them here!”

Something answered her signal. That same pressure that Akko was starting to recognize, thought it did not seem to come from above and below at the same time, it was like a gaze from many pairs of blinded eyes, a gaze that would make her cower.

But cower, she did not.

“That’s what I hope. Let’s take the horses,” Akko replied, moving besides the animals tied to the walls. They were not the beautiful beasts they had received back in Luna Nova, and that had met with such a grievous fate. These were work-horses, squat and broad, more apt to plowing the fields and carrying loads than flying away from swords and screams and terrible promises of pain. They would have to do.

“Why two?” Diana asked as she cut the strings of her own with a small knife.

“At least one of us will…”

“Do not finish that thought, Atsuko Kagari!” Diana jumped on her horse with one quick motion, and held out her hand for Akko. “I will not let you follow your foolish plan unless I manage to provide you with some meager measure of safety. Now jump on!”

Akko shook her head, but did as she was told. The horse scuttled away from the wall and its siblings, their hooves drawing noise on the ground as Akko felt that _pressure_ grow closer and closer. Akko took Diana’s hand and jumped on the horse. It smelled of leather and dust.

A scent of burnt coal lingered in the air.

“The eastern gate is the closest,” Diana said as she patted the horse on the side of its head. “We’ll head there.”

“Yes, but the horse is not moving!”

Diana put a hand between the horse’s ears, erect from fear.

“ _Did not the Sun shine on the meadow_

_And did you not try to chase after clouds_?

_Now ride again, safe from the shadow_

_Haste in your hooves, quick and swift, proud!_ ”

Akko had no idea how Diana kept doing this sort of thing, but the horse seemed to comply to her command, or it was just the encroaching rumbling of foul hooves that made it dash through the narrow roads of Berg.

Akko held onto Diana for dear life. She turned her head as the wind sang in her ears.

_Something_ was running after them.

Even like this, right besides Diana, Akko felt for a moment an oily dizziness, a feeling of vertigo and nausea. Her eyes lost focus for an instant, and it seemed to her black hands were trying to grasp them.

She blinked, and let go of Diana.

It was three of them.

Three tall riders, their swords unsheathed, blinking white and black like eyes as they caught the light of the moon when it managed to pass through houses and walls. They seemed to be cut out of some sort of blackness Akko could not understand, could not even see, and it seemed to her she was turning blind, looking into their figures.

Her fingers felt slick.

But still she persisted.

Akko blinked again, focused on Diana’s presence, right besides her. What an impossible, incomprehensible thing!

And now they were two, united.

Akko could not let her down.

And slowly, even as the three figures behind them drew closer and closer, the horrible echoes of their horses stronger and stronger, Akko took her bow. She cocked in yet another of her black arrows, drew the string once more to a taut line.

And let go.

Akko’s intuition proved right, to a point. The arrow flew, and exploded in another flash and thunder-like echo, but it did not hit its target. The Rider held up one of its hands, and the arrow slowed down, and exploded before it could hit one of them. Their horses did slow down a little, yet relentlessly they chased them.

And now Akko only had three arrows left.

“Crap.”

Diana turned her head to look. She lifted her new wand, but Akko blocked her arm.

“No!” She said over the noise of hooves and breathy rasps coming from the horse. “Not yet! I can still fight!”

Diana frowned, turned again, and Akko’s eyes followed her gaze. Only a few rows of houses separated them now from the tall walls of Berg. And Akko’s explosions had awakened more than a little of Berg. Fluttering firelight could be seen leaning out from many windows, and a far-away bell began to run.

Akko seized the initiative; her world was narrowing down to a pinpoint, to her third-last arrow, cocked and ready to go.

She could not stop them.

But she could slow them down.

Akko aimed her bow slightly lower, aiming at the horses.

Shiny Chariot, if she could have seen her, would have been surely proud.

The Rider that had stopped her first arrow lifted its hand once again, an annoyed gesture, like one who aims to swat off a fly. But Akko’s projectile was already aiming lower, and it impacted the ground, right in front of the black Rider’s hooves.

A flash that coloured shadows red, and a bang ran after them and past. Akko turned her head.

An unpleasant memory wormed its way in as air shook and horses whinnied in pain and terror: a memory of her own horse, and its untimely fate under the tower’s rubble.

The Riders and their horses did come out of the smoke cloud, but the horses rambled, mad with fear and shock. They rose on their back legs, kicking against wall and smoke alike, and their masters seemed not to be able to make them resume their chase, not for the moment, at least.

Akko’s heart jumped in joy. The gate was closer and closer.

People ran out of their homes, swords and spears and torches in hand; they flooded the streets, eye looking into the night. Bells began to ring; a chorus of _Fire! Fear! Foes!_ rose into the air.

Akko had one last glimpse of the three Riders going after them turning right and disappearing between two roads. Maybe between her little fireworks trick and Berg’s people coming out of their homes, she _had_ scared them off.

They dashed through houses, reached a corner, and past that, the small square that gave onto the eastern gate. There they found, between them and their escape, three tall Riders, silently turning their heads to look at them with their blind gaze. One of them lifted a hand and pronounced… words. Gnawed words, syllables like grinding of glass and metal and the wheezing of breath, and the breaking of bone.

Akko’s breath froze.

Their horse whinnied and wobbled, as the words continued, rising in a chorus, stronger and stronger. Diana lifted a hand of her own, muttering something Akko could not hear to maybe try and contrast the horrible chant, but her efforts amounted to a stone thrown against a tidal wave.

When the bones of the horse’s legs snapped, Akko felt it echo through her own body.

Akko whimpered and Diana screamed as their horse let out a pained, mad whinny, and ruined on its side.

Akko blinked, and was back, her body trembling. Diana.

Where was Diana?

She had to be close, for sure. Her voice seemed to come from somewhere close.

She had not been under the horse, had she? Akko’s heart jumped at her throat, but when she blinked again, and the world came into focus, Diana was standing already, pulling the hem of her mantle from under the twitching horse. She turned to look at her, relief in her aqua eyes.

“Akko. Are you alright?”

“I… I think,” Akko replied, even if she was from alright. Diana pulled her towards herself as the three Riders slowly moved their horses towards them. From the roads surrounding the square, the people of Berg flooded in, and yet kept their distance, their chant of _Fire! Fear! Foes!_ Coming to a close, as the three Riders filled the air with thick, black fear. Akko felt it in her broken breaths, in Diana’s tight grip, in the awareness their plan had failed. The gate was behind them, but it was closed, the heavy wooden doors shut with metal locks and counterweights. What was supposed to keep the horrors out, now had them all imprisoned inside with them.

Diana set her jaw, her head kept up high. Akko pulled her bow out, another of her firework arrows aimed at the encroaching Riders, though it was so hard to look at them directly. It was like staring directly at the Sun, but this was a hungry, gloomy black sun, bleeding out fear and darkness.

Akko’s knees rattled. She blinked, and was once again in class, the lonely girl, the disaster, the one who could not hold her wand straight.

A sickening voice seemed to whisper in her ear, repeating all of Hannah and Barbara’s veiled, barbed insults.

She was _unworthy_ of being a Witch.

She was _weak_.

She was _a failure_.

Akko turned to look at Diana for comfort, to look at those warm, soft lips she had just kissed, to those eyes she wanted to get lost into, but Diana was not looking at her. She was trembling, one hand holding her trained wand, the other rising to her brow. She was not looking at her.

And, the thought slithered in like a snake in a pond, _why_ would she?

Diana had taken part in those insults, had she not?

Did a few weeks dining on roots and locusts with Akko meant she had changed? Changed at all?

Akko shook her head.

It was the same. The same oily _pressure_ she had felt once again, in the forest, and in the tower. Back then, she had been strong enough to resist it. She would be… she would…

“ _Cavendish_ ,” the tallest Rider said. It seemed to slow down in its funeral march, leaning forward on his black horse, the tinkling of steel mail echoing from inside its robes. The name sent Akko’s thoughts scattering.

And yet, her hands failed not. She still held the bow in her hand, still aimed her firework arrow at the abominations before her. It was just three of them, right? Three against two. She had faced worse odds. And yet her own words seemed empty.

All she could see, behind the veil of flickering firelight, was the bitter memories of her time in Luna Nova, flashing in front of her eyes like the fluttering wings of thirsty bats, shredding light into shards.

Truth was, she should have stayed home.

Even this… thing she had with Diana… this… ephemeral gathering of forbidden kisses, was a lie and a game. For once they would come back… it would begin anew, wouldn’t it?

She had not changed.

Nor had Cavendish.

She knew it to be true.

And yet, beyond all the whispers that beckoned her to let go of her bow, to unhook her arrow, to fall on her knees, to behold the futility of her efforts, Akko breathed in, breathed out, and held her arrow cocked and ready.

They have been over this. Akko and Diana. They _did_ decide to let the past behind them.

She might not have changed, not much.

But a little, she did.

A little, she did!

“I _have_ changed,” she muttered under her breath. Diana’s eyes moved towards her. “I have changed, and so has Diana. Go back to the filthy hole you crawled out from, you and your insinuations!”

The closest Rider halted, pulling on the horse’s strings. It turned its head to regard Akko, and in the dim light of the torches, it threw its head back and a laughter resounded, cold and cruel like the shattering of storm tides against rocks.

It pointed its long sword at Akko.

“ _Ever the wheel turns_ ,” it said in the same loathful voice. “ _Bone and iron it mills, roots and Words. And ever the Hand turning it is the same._ ”

Akko did not know what to say. She lacked the words, she lacked Diana’s expertise with poetry and Song and magic. Her own wand had laid bare and unused for almost all of the quest. She lacked the _Words_! For some reason they only seemed to come out when she least needed them.

Therefore she replied in the only way she could. She pulled her bow even tighter, as much as her arm was getting tired, and she snarled at the encroaching shadow.

“ _My_ hand is quite firm,” she replied.

“ _And what such feeble hands might sought to accomplish_?” The figure mocked her, and laughed again. The shadows seemed to creep closer, and the inhabitants of Berg gathered to the walls of their homes, like ants driven upon the sides of a cliff by a larger creature.

And then Diana stepped forward. She encircled Akko, putting herself in front of her friend, and her wand was held high, and her voice spoke with no fear, clear and cold, but cold like the rain on a spring rain, like the fresh tide of new rivers.

 “She is not alone, creature. She is not alone. Go back to your fell Master, and tell Him there is still a Cavendish drawing breath who will oppose Him to the bitter end. And that the little Witches hold no less bravery than the Great ones of old.”

And at those words the Rider laughed even louder, some unknown mirth creeping into its voice.

“ _Cavendish!_ _Ever the bold one_. _You do not know what you are talking about! Fall now, and vain be your oaths!_ ”

“Akko,” Diana whispered as the three Riders encroached.

“Tell me when to shoot! I can hit them nice and hard this close. Between the eyes, just like that!”

“Akko. Listen to me.”

Akko turned her head. The wand in Diana’s hand seemed to writhe.

“D-Diana…?”

“I am about to do something. Like you said, fireworks. My apologies to the Grey Witch for what I am about to do, and my thanks.”

“But… your wand…”

Diana winced. A small trail of smoke rose from her wand.

The Rider laughed again as it pushed its horse forward, drawing its sword, reflecting an arc of darkened moonlight.

“I will find you. Run _east_!”

Akko grasped at Diana’s wrist, but it was too late. The tallest Rider sprang forth, and Akko had only time  to reach for Diana’s shoulder and open her mouth in a mute objection before Diana spoke:

“Now, _sing me a song of flame,_

_Draw me a glimpse of dawn!_

_By Word and Tide! In Ruin_

_May fall the Enemy’s spawn!”_

All the firelights from the torches, all the golden candles in Berg extinguished in a whiff, drawn like painted smears towards the tip of Diana’s wand. She moved her wrist, and a many-tailed whip of golden fire cast dancing shadows like liquid blackness as it hit the three Riders, sending them tumbling against the dirt. Akko tried to hold Diana to herself, but another tongue of fire enveloped her, and, sprouting wings, carried her up in the air, over the wall, and down, down into the darkness that was beyond.

Akko had the time to let out one last pitiful _Diana_ before her friend drew all the light to herself, and in a conflagration of red and gold Berg disappeared from Akko’s sight.

 

-

 

Akko opened her eyes, and it was still night.

“Diana,” she said, springing up.

But Diana was not there. Nor was the town.

The only thing that had followed her was her bow. Her last two arrows, unused, had been lost.

“Diana!” Akko repeated, holding her hands around her mouth, yelling. Lazy echoes answered from the empty hills. A silver mist enveloped their necks, and it seemed to writhe and shiver around Akko, as if trying to draw her down.

“Diana,” she said once again.

_Run east_.

“I will not!” Akko yelled. “I am coming for you!”

She turned and ran, in the direction she thought was west.

As she did, hungry eyes watched from deep beneath the hills.

 

-

 

Diana blinked. It was night still.

In her hand, her wand wriggled and smoked. It had… performed. To her satisfaction, if not to her hopes.

She drew herself upright.

For all her faults, the Grey Witch had given her the right insight. Her own spell might have been barely strong enough to send Akko to safety and awe three of the Nine, but… it had been a success, as far as one could call this a success. Her hands ran, out of habit, to the iron box on her chest.

It was still there.

Diana breathed out in relief, and then, weary step after weary step, caring little for how much the spell had drained her, she went looking for the most precious person in her life.

“Wait for me, dearest Akko.” She said to the encroaching hills. No reply came, nor did she expect one to come from the ancient burial grounds. A silver mist covered them, falsely reassuring.

 

-

 

Berg was burning. The night hung red.

The Black Captain held its hand up high, helping the flames as they roared about, eating through the wood, rising tall column of sparkles that coiled around the thick spires of smoke.

One by one, like silent rivers gathering at a given place, the other Riders collected around the Black Captain.

It gave a curt nod once they were all together.

“ _Cavendish_ ,” it muttered, now more due to its bruised pride than his hunger for their mark. Twice they had been hindered by fire. Twice they had lost their horses to it. They would not be hindered by fire a third time.

And maybe the fell power of their Master was behind such a thought, because it was precisely what would happen.

Still, the burning city would be a clear message to the foolish inhabitants of Berg, whom had stored and hid such a dangerous existence as a Witch inside their walls. Let it burn.

The Black Captain let out another deep laughter.

They may have escaped, but their escape would be short-lived. For the silver mist encroached on the dead-filled hills, and inside them, bony hands ached for vengeance, roused by its will and that of their Master.

Those two had just ran to their doom.

Now the Rider just had to collect, like a patient spider.

Laughing once more, it began its hideous trod down the road, towards the hills.

Up above, unseen, a white hawk cried.

It cried for the loss of Berg, and it cried for the fate of two Witches.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I rewrote this chapter five times.  
> I truly want to apologize for the belated update. My dayjob has taken a downturn, and it is rapidly burning through my sanity resources. Creative energy and time is sold at a price, these days. 
> 
> Still, I decided I wanted to write this down, at last, and publish it. This chapter was becoming a hurdle, turning into a cork that weighed more and more against the rest of the story. I feel much freer now, though I am afraid regular updates will not happer again for a few more weeks, not unless I either solve some job matters or some life matters.
> 
> All in all, I hope my poetry is not too terrible and I am not derailing this story too much. I would love to hear your thoughts, as always, especially after such a long time. Your comments are a ray of light in these dark weeks, and the more the merrier, truly.
> 
> So please let me know.
> 
> Best of regards from your Author and see you soon.

**Author's Note:**

> Comment character limit too short? Just want to chat? Wish to gush together at Akko and Diana?  
> Write at authormontresor@gmail.com !
> 
> Thank you for reading!


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